A man affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest crime syndicate, was shot Wednesday in Kobe, apparently in connection with a feud among factions of the group in the city and surrounding areas, police said.
The man, believed to be around 50 years old, was seriously injured with three gunshot wounds. He was in a car near the office of the yakuza group when the suspected gunman opened fire and fled on a moped.
The shooting took place around 6 p.m. in Kobe's Chuo Ward as the victim was returning to the office. The crime scene is in a residential area about 300 meters away from Shin-Kobe Station.
Conflicts have intensified since a Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi faction separated from the main organization in August 2015. An additional group splintered off from the Kobe faction in March 2016.