The 2006 Tojo-Omi war was a major gang war which occurred in December 2006 when the powerful Omi Alliance of Kansai, led by Goryu-kai patriarch Ryuji Goda, went to war with the Tojo-kai of Kanto just a year after the Tojo emerged from a devastating civil war. The brief, yet destructive war between the Omi and Tojo was marked by interference from the shadowy and violent Jingweon Mafia of Korea, the failed rebellion of the Nishikiyama-gumi subsidiary of the Tojo-kai and the death of its patriarch Koji Shindo, and the deaths of most of the high-ranking leaders of the Omi Alliance and many Tojo captains.
Background[]
The war's origins lay in the Tojo-kai's massacre of the Jingweon Mafia at a Christmas party in Kabukicho, Tokyo in 1980; Dojima-gumi captain Shintaro Kazama spared the Jingweon bodyguards Kim Daejin and Ji Yeongmin out of pity for their youth, while the responding policeman Jiro Kawara rescued the slain Jingweon boss' wife Jung Suyeon and her infant son. Under the auspices of Kazama, Kim Daejin was accepted into the Omi Alliance by Goryu-kai Patriarch Jin Goda and acquired Japanese citizenship under the name "Yukio Terada", while Ji Yeongmin assumed the name "Wataru Kurahashi" and joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Foreign Affairs Division; both men privately sought vengeance for the killing of their brothers, as the Jingweon creed demanded. At the same time, Jung was taken in by Chairman Goda, and, when Jung fell in love with Kawara, Chairman Goda persuaded him to leave her infant son in his care; he named his adoptive son "Ryuji Goda". Ryuji Goda grew to be an ambitious yakuza, seeking to surpass the achievements of his father upon succeeding him as Patriarch of the Goryu-kai on his father's accession to the Omi chairmanship. Meanwhile, Yukio Terada rose in the ranks of the Omi Alliance and became its Chief of Headquarters under Chairman Goda, remaining a triple agent for the Omi Alliance, his patron Kazama, and the Jingweon Mafia (which he covertly continued to lead).
In December 2005, the ambitious Ryuji Goda colluded with the ambitious senior LDP politician Kyohei Jingu to destroy the Tojo-kai as it was caught up in a succession war on the assassination of Chairman Masaru Sera by the upstart patriarch Akira Nishikiyama. Meanwhile, Terada worked as a double-agent for Kazama, attempting to thwart Nishikiyama and Jingu's plans whilst initially feigning allegiance to them. At the culmination of the civil war, the intervention of the legendary yakuza Kazuma Kiryu and Terada's turn against Jingu resulted in the defeat and death of Jingu and Nishikiyama, and Kiryu came into possession of the will of Chairman Sera, which effectively made him the Tojo-kai's new Chairman. In spite of the defeat of Jingu and the Omi's plot, the Tojo-kai was greatly weakened, as Kazama, Nishikiyama, and several other high-ranking Tojo leaders were killed during the war. Additionally, Kiryu - who sought to leave the yakuza life behind - retired from the chairmanship on the same day as his investiture ceremony and named his adoptive father Kazama's trusted protege Yukio Terada as his successor, seemingly leaving the Tojo-kai in good hands.
However, Terada's leadership of the Tojo-kai was nothing short of disastrous. In February 2006, Terada proclaimed that the highest-earning captain of the Tojo-kai would be named his successor, leading to the Majima-gumi, Uematsu-gumi, and Ibuchi-gumi competing for power. Additionally, Terada preached for peaceful coexistence and close ties to the Omi Alliance, resulting in the Tojo-kai being seen as "soft". Finally, the remnants of the Shimano-gumi and other depleted Tojo-kai subsidiaries were consolidated ito the Nishikiyama-gumi under the leadership of Nishikiyama's former right-hand man Koji Shindo, leaving the command of half of the Tojo-kai's manpower in the hands of a lieutenant whose ambitions and hatred for Kiryu were well-known.
History[]
The hitmen confronting Kiryu and Terada at the cemetery
At the same time, Terada privately plotted the destruction of the Tojo Clan to avenge the Jingweon massacre. His first move was to recruit both the ambitious Ryuji Goda and the ambitious Omi Chief of HQ Ryo Takashima into his joint Jingweon-Omi conspiracy, and the Jingweon Mafia also sent moles to Kabukicho (including Kang Jinwu, who impersonated Club Stardust manager Hiroshi Kazuki; and Kijuro Tsumura, who infiltrated the Florist of Sai's intelligence network). On 15 December 2006, the conspirators made their first move when Ryuji had the Jingweon agent Kijuro Tsumura bomb the Kazama-gumi offices atop the Millennium Tower; nobody was killed in the explosion, but it raised fears of a new yakuza war. Terada then escalated the tensions further by faking his death at the hands of Go-Ryu gunmen while meeting with Kiryu at a cemetery on the outskirts of Tokyo to ask for his advice. In his "last words", Terada asked Kiryu to approach Omi chairman Jin Goda and ask for an alliance, which he believed was the only way to preserve the peace between the Tojo and Omi. On Terada's supposed death, late Chairman Sohei Dojima's widow Yayoi Dojima assumed the role of acting Chair of the Tojo-kai, and Kiryu was persuaded to temporarily return to the Tojo Clan to carry out Terada's last wishes and preserve the peace.
Ryuji's men storming Omi HQ
On 17 December 2006, Kiryu and Yayoi's son Daigo Dojima traveled to Osaka to meet with Chairman Goda and offer an alliance between the Tojo-kai, but Daigo's personal grievances against Ryuji Goda, as well as Omi lieutenant Toranosuke Sengoku's open objection to an alliance with the Tojo-kai, resulted in a tense environment at the alliance talks. Chairman Goda was eager to ally with the Tojo to ensure peace, but Ryuji, infuriated at the idea of the strong Omi Alliance allying with the weaker Tojo-kai, stormed into the meeting with armed men and announced that he was seizing control of the Omi Alliance in a coup. While Kiryu thwarted the kidnapping of Chairman Goda, had Daigo escape with Goda, and defeated Ryuji in a one-on-one fight before being taken into protective custody by the Osaka Prefectural Police officer Kaoru Sayama, the Jingweon succeeded in tracking down and kidnapping Daigo and Goda in Tokyo. Ryuji was thus able to assume leadership of the Omi Alliance without further incident, and he now had the opportunity to make war against the Tojo-kai of Kanto.
The showdown at the Amano Building
Over the next few days, events moved quickly. Before 17 December was through, Kiryu persuaded Goro Majima, former patriarch of the Majima-gumi, to return to the Tojo Clan and help defend it against its new enemies; he also informed the Tojo leadership of the events in Osaka and thwarted a Jingweon assassin's attempt to infiltrate the Tojo headquarters. On 18 December, Kiryu headed to the Amano Building in Kabukicho after being told over the phone that Daigo was being held there, only to find that he, his ex-cop ally Makoto Date, and Jiro Kawara had been lured into a trap by Kang Jinwu and the Jingweon. Kaoru Sayama arrived just in time and shot Kang dead, while rescuing the real Kazuki from Kang's captivity. That same day, when two Jingweon assassins tracked Kazuki down to the Emoto Clinic (mistaking him for their boss Kang Jinwu), Kawara used the opportunity to interrogate them and discover that they worked for the Jingweon Mafia, which was still active. That night, Kiryu survived an ambush by citizens of Kabukicho hired by Sengoku to kill him, and he sought out the help of the Florist of Sai in finding the kidnapped Daigo's real location. He and Kaoru thwarted Go-Ryu operative Hiroshi Hayashi's failed attempt to sabotage the Florist's surveillance equipment and tracked Daigo down to Shangri-La, where Kiryu fought his way through dozens of Go-Ryu yakuza and rescued Daigo; Chairman Goda had been moved to the countryside.
The Omi men marching into Kabukicho
On 19 December, the second phase of the Jingweon-Omi plot was set into motion, with Ryuji Goda's underlings crashing the funeral of Yukio Terada without orders to do so, the Sengoku-gumi launching an invasion of Kabukicho to lure Kiryu's attention away from Tojo headquarters, and Koji Shindo finally attempting to seize control of the Tojo Clan by taking over Tojo HQ and having several other Tojo captains assassinated. Majima single-handedly repelled the Sengoku-gumi invasion, although he was critically wounded; he remained conscious long enough to warn Kiryu that Sengoku's attack on Kabukicho was a diversion to distract Kiryu from Shindo's coup. Kiryu rushed back to the Tojo headquarters, where he fought his way through Shindo's men, defeated Shindo in a one-on-one duel, and rescued the Tojo officers Shindo had taken hostage. A defeated Shindo was shot dead by Daigo before he could shoot Kiryu, putting an end to the Nishikiyama-gumi's short-lived rebellion.
A car bombing during Shindo's purge
On 20 December, Kiryu and Sayama returned to Osaka after Sayama's chief Tsutomu Bessho informed them that there were three Jingweon survivors, one of whom, named "Murai", was alive in Dotonbori. On 21 December, they tracked down Murai, the former Park Hoejong, to the secretive Keima shogi parlor, where they learned that Park had been spared by Kazama, and had betrayed the late Jingweon boss' wife and daughter to Jingweon assassins in exchange for his former gang leaving him alone. Just then, a Jingweon hit squad arrived, and, while they killed Park as punishment for his leaving the Jingweon Mafia, they committed suicide through poisoning rather than answer Kiryu and Sayama's questions. That same day, Sengoku decided to lure Kiryu into a trap by kidnapping his adoptive daughter Haruka Sawamura from Sunflower Orphanage and taking her to Osaka Castle, and he had the information dealers Terao Esaki and Torazo Kurokawa put a bounty on Kiryu. Kiryu survived a stabbing assassination attempt before receiving a note from Sengoku revealing that his daughter was in his hands, and Kiryu defeated Kurokawa and Esaki and found out from Esaki that Sengoku was at Osaka Castle. Kiryu proceeded to single-handedly storm the castle and take down its guards, dressed as samurai and ninja, before confronting Sengoku. Ryuji Goda, who was angered at the ambitious Sengoku for his kidnapping of Haruka and his scheming to take over the Omi Alliance, slashed him to death with a katana and let Kiryu leave with Haruka, although he warned him that, in two days, he and the Omi would come at Kabukicho with everything they had, and he challenged Kiryu to a second and final duel.
The showdown at the Millennium Tower
That same night, however, Kurahashi and the Jingweon made their move, kidnapping Makoto Date to lure Kawara, Kiryu, and Sayama into an ambush at the Millennium Tower. Kiryu and Sayama survived an assassination attempt by truckloads of Jingweon assassins on the highway from Osaka to Tokyo, thanks to Kiryu jumping out of Sayama's van and battling the assassins on their own vehicles; they were thus able to arrive in Kabukicho and head to the Millennium Tower to rescue their friends. Kurahashi's plan to kill everyone in the room with explosives was foiled by Kawara, but he managed to fatally wound Kawara before Kiryu dispatched Kurahashi's Jingweon assassins and Kawara shot a defeated Kurahashi dead. During that confrontation, Sayama found out from both Kurahashi and Kawara that she was the daughter of Kawara and Jung Suyeon, and her father died in her arms just moments after she learned her true parentage.
Omi cars driving towards Tokyo, 22 December
On 22 December, Sayama left for Osaka to ensure that her adoptive mother Tamiyo Sayama made it home safely, and to crack a CD found on Kurahashi's body with the Osaka PD computer. At the same time, Kazuki awoke from his comatose state, and he warned Kiryu, Date, and their friends that his Jingweon captors, who had held him captive for six months, bragged about destroying Tokyo with 33 bombs, one bomb for each of the victims of the 1980 massacre. Kiryu deduced that there were 31 bombs remaining, considering that there had been two in the Millennium Tower. Date decided to seek the help of the Tokyo Police in dispatching bomb squads to locate and defuse the bombs. Meanwhile, Kiryu reported to Tojo headquarters, where Osamu Kashiwagi volunteered to muster 300 Tojo-kai yakuza in Tokyo to help defend the city from the impending Go-Ryu invasion. Daigo Dojima earned the respect of the clan by addressing the men and pledging to defend his beloved hometown, but, when Date reported that the police were unwilling to act on the bombs without more solid proof than Kazuki's testimony, Kiryu decided to have Daigo send his men to defuse the bombs. With the help of Goro Majima, whose Kabukicho Hills construction project sat atop the Sai no Kawara underground pleasure district and the Florist of Sai's former surveillance lab, the Tojo-kai pinpointed the locations of the bombs and set about defusing them, while Kiryu set out to halt the Goryu-kai invasion.
Daigo addressing the Tojo Clan
The Goryu-kai attacked the Emoto Clinic, Bantam, and Club Stardust, with Kiryu heading to Bantam first, the Emoto Clinic second, and then Club Stardust third; at Stardust, he found Ryuji personally leading his men. Kiryu was able to defeat all of Ryuji's men, but Ryuji refused to fight a weakened Kiryu, instead telling him to meet him at the city's highest point the next day for their final duel. He also disavowed the Jingweon's bomb plot, as he wished to take over Tokyo while it was a beautiful city, and not ashes.
Kiryu taking down a Jingweon assassin
On 23 December, Kaoru Sayama returned to Kabukicho from Osaka, and she told Kiryu to visit the Tokyo police headquarters to meet with Bessho in the archive room, as the Takashima-gumi seemed to be acting strangely. While Kiryu and Date went to the police headquarters, Kaoru - who had found out from Kurahashi's decoded CD that Ryuji Goda was her half-brother - decided to confront Ryuji alone and prevent a final battle from occurring. Kiryu and Date found a pre-recorded message from Kaoru at Tokyo PD, revealing her relation to Ryuji, and Kiryu decided to head to Kabukicho Hills to confront Ryuji, rescue Chairman Goda, and resolve the conflict. Along the way, he fought his way past dozens of Jingweon assassins in Kabukicho's deserted streets and at the construction site, and, when he reached the top of the building, he found Kaoru attempting to arrest Ryuji. Kiryu had Ryuji point him to where his father was being kept, and Kiryu rushed to the Chairman's side as Kaoru revealed her parentage to Ryuji, and said that she intended to arrest Ryuji and turn herself in for her own yakuza associations. However, Ryuji insisted on a fight with Kiryu, as the "Dragon of Kansai" sought to kill the "Dragon of Dojima" and emerge as the only "Dragon" in the yakuza underworld. In the ensuing fight, Kiryu emerged victorious, knocking Ryuji unconscious.
Ryuji bidding farewell to Kaoru before his final battle
Chairman Goda proceeded to thank Kiryu for restoring peace, and he offered to turn himself in to the police as well. However, just then, Yukio Terada arrived with Jingweon assassins, revealing his survival and his duplicity, and explaining his "script" to Kiryu, Kaoru, and Chairman Goda. He also revealed that the building was rigged to blow with a 34th bomb dedicated to his old friend Kurahashi, although Terada had secretly defused the bomb, growing suspicious that the ambitious Takashima would betray him, and anticipating Takashima's later arrival. Terada and his men attempted to kill Kiryu, but Kiryu was able to defeat them and floor Terada. The brief moment of peace was interrupted when Takashima arrived with his own men, and he promptly fatally shot both Chairman Goda and Terada, announcing his intention to take control of the Omi Alliance, absorb the Tojo Clan, and use the Jingweon Mafia to expand into mainland Asia. Before dying, however, Terada activated his bomb and told Kiryu to trust him. Kiryu was unable to bring himself to shoot Takashima, even after he took Kaoru hostage, and Takashima shot Kiryu twice before Ryuji awoke from his unconscious state, and, angered at Takashima's betrayal, charged at him and shot him several times, even as Takashima shot him back. Ryuji executed the treacherous Takashima before challenging Kiryu to a final duel, as both wounded Dragons believed that they would not make it off the roof in time to survive, and both agreed that there could only be one Dragon. As the timer ticked down, Kiryu was narrowly able to best Ryuji in their final battle, and Ryuji succumbed to his wounds in his sister's arms. With only a few minutes left, and unable to walk, Kiryu resigned to die atop the building, and Kaoru, who had fallen in love with Kiryu, resolved to stay with him. Date and Junichi Sudo flew a helicopter near the building and attempted to persuade the two to flee, but they kissed as the timer neared zero, and the police helicopter was forced to pull away.
Haruka Sawamura praying at Yukio Terada's grave
However, to everyone's surprise and relief, the bomb never detonated, as Terada had defused it beforehand, and had only activated the bomb to distract Takashima and give Kiryu and his friends the time to defeat Takashima. While Terada had played a central role in the conspiracy to ignite a destructive war between Kansai and Kanto, he still retained a degree of gratitude for Kazama saving his life, and Kiryu came to see Terada with newfound respect, in spite of his duplicity. At the end of the war, the Tojo Clan was no worse off, the Omi was crippled, and the Jingweon's survivors from the night of 25 December 1980 were all dead.
Aftermath[]
The war of 2006 marked a transitional phase in the histories of both the Tojo-kai and the Omi Alliance. The death of Terada had led Kiryu to seek out a man who was capable of leading the Tojo Clan and commanding respect, and Kiryu was able to bring Daigo Dojima back into the Tojo fold and away from his life of debauchery. Daigo won the respect of his clan as the result of his leadership during the war with the Omi, and he succeeded his mother as Chairman once the conflict was over. Kiryu returned to his civilian life, starting the Morning Glory Orphanage on Okinawa in 2007 and intending to live in peace far away from the yakuza politics on the Japanese mainland. However, the Tojo-kai continued to suffer from financial troubles as the result of the loss of their ten billion yen in 2005 and the wars of 2005 and 2006, leading to a period of financial desperation in 2007-2009 which climaxed with an outbreak of bloodshed in relation to an Okinawa land deal which the Tojo-kai wanted in on.
The Omi Alliance also suffered greatly during the war. Its respected Chairman Jin Goda was dead, as were its subsidiary patriarchs Ryuji Goda, Ryo Takashima, and Toranosuke Sengoku; the sudden demise of Chairman Goda and the sixth chairman shortly after him allowed the cold and cunning Tsubasa Kurosawa to seize power and become the Omi's chairman in the late 2000s. In 2012, the ambitious Kurosawa, having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, reignited the Tojo-Omi feud by having several subordinates infiltrate the Tojo-kai in a bid to assassinate Chairman Daigo Dojima and replace him with Kurosawa's son Masato Aizawa. This conspiracy resulted in the 2012 Tojo-Omi war, the last war fought between the two clans before their dissolutions in 2019.