Minoru Aoyama (died December 2012) was a Japanese yakuza who served as acting Chairman of the Tojo-kai in December 2012, briefly usurping Daigo Dojima. The oath brother of Omi Alliance captain Masaru Watase, he conspired with the Omi to seize control of the Tojo for himself, as he disagreed with Dojima's efforts to ally the powerful Tojo with smaller, weaker clans across Japan. While he was able to seize power after Dojima's sudden disappearance, was ultimately defeated in battle against the Yamagasa-gumi of Fukuoka and their ally Kazuma Kiryu, and he was executed by his co-conspirator Yu Morinaga before he could reveal the Omi's role in his plot.
Biography[]
Aoyama and Dojima
Minoru Aoyama was born in Tokyo, Japan, and he became a yakuza and rose in the ranks of the Tojo-kai before becoming Daigo Dojima's secretary. He was known for his strict code of conduct, earning the respect of many within the clan for meting out harsh and severe punishments to those who acted outside the Tojo Clan's rules.
Aoyama and Watase
Secretly, however, Morinaga harbored an ambition to rise to the top of the Tojo Clan, and he plotted with the Omi Alliance to seize power for himself after disagreeing with Dojima's decision to ally the powerful Tojo with the small Yamagasa-gumi of Fukuoka in 2012. Aoyama leaked Tojo-kai secrets to his Omi sworn brother Masaru Watase, whom he brought with him to Kyushu in December 2012 to find and lure out Daigo's chief supporter, the retired Kazuma Kiryu. The Omi's plan was to have Aoyama assassinate Daigo to lure out Kiryu, who would be lured to a final, fatal confrontation with the Omi in Tokyo; Omi infiltrator Masato Aizawa would then seize control of the Tojo.
Aoyama on the phone
In December 2012, Aoyama and the Omi infiltrator Yu Morinaga plotted to assassinate Dojima as he met with Yamagasa patriarch Tadashi Madarame at a hotel in Fukuoka, but Daigo distrusted the ambitious Aoyama and ultimately changed the venue to his car. Before Aoyama and Morinaga could assassinate Dojima, Dojima vanished, going into hiding as the Yamagasa Family covered his tracks, also taking the blame for his disappearance. Aoyama took this opportunity to name himself acting Chairman of the Tojo Clan and lead his clan on the warpath against the Yamagasa Family, refusing to ally the Tojo with such a backwater organization. He eventually set a meeting with Madarame, planning to kill him with a suitcase bomb, but he was forced to stab Madarame after the latter detected a trap. Kiryu, along with Morinaga and Aizawa (who feigned loyalty to Dojima), arrived just in time to confront Aoyama, whom they believed had kidnapped Dojima. However, Aoyama claimed that the trio had killed Madarame, and he fled the building before triggering the bomb as Kiryu exited. Aoyama then made his escape, sure that the bombing would trigger a war.
Aoyama's last moments
Not long after, Kenji Yahata of the Yamagasa Family called Aoyama to arrange a rumble at the Hakata Pier. Aoyama felt forced to comply in order to avoid rumors that the Tojo fled from a minor clan, and he brought Watase with him as Omi's witness to his victory. The confrontation was interrupted by Kiryu's arrival, and Kiryu challenged all members of the Tojo Clan to a fight as a civilian; therefore if he defeated the Tojo, they could not war against hte Yamagasa. While Aoyama was disinclined, Watase forced him to comply. Kiryu then single-handedly defeated all of Aoyama's men, and Watase angrily punched Aoyama before he could dishonorably execute Kiryu with a handgun after Kiryu's victory. Kiryu proceeded to give a sound beating to Aoyama, who attempted to reason with Kiryu as someone who would "never kill." Aoyama then lamented his situation and revealed that he was only acting as he was being told, but he was shot in the head by his co-conspirator Morinaga before he could reveal Omi's role in his plot.