Lopburi – A 70-year-old former Japanese Yakuza leader, Shigeharu Shirai, who was arrested in Lopburi, admitted to killing a rival gang member during an interrogation by Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Wirachai Songmetta.
Shirai, who was the leader of the Yamakuchi gang, fled his home country, Japan, after allegedly murdering Kashihiko Otobe, a deputy leader of the rival Kamiya gang. Before committing the crime, Shigeharu had started another gang which he named Kodokai. The gang consisted of 14,000 members who earned money mostly through illegal businesses.
Shirai had been on the run for more than 13 years before he was arrested in Lopburi on Wednesday after the police were tipped off by the Japanese embassy. After a 2-hour interrogation, the Yakuza boss showed the Deputy National Police Chief where in Lopburi he stayed when he first arrived in Thailand.
Shirai has also been charged with offences related to illegal entry and stay. He will be questioned by Immigration police before his extradition.
