Two years ago, the authorities in this gritty rust belt region declared war on the yakuza, Japan's entrenched organized crime syndicates. And that is exactly what they got. Since this city and other local governments beefed up regulations to take on the yakuza - making it a criminal offense for companies and individuals to do business with them - there has been a death threat against Kitakyushu's mayor and his family, hand grenades tossed at the homes of corporate executives and a construction company chairman gunned down in front of his wife. The police say the attacks, and many other lesser threats and intimidation tactics, are the doing of the Kudokai, a gang with more than 650 members that officials call one of the most dangerous of Japan's yakuza. The attacks have prompted the National Police Agency to propose giving law enforcement more powers to search and arrest gang members. (bendbulletin.com)

Police wiretapped mobile phones in 10 investigations last year and the eavesdropping led to the arrest of 22 people, a Justice Ministry report to the Diet showed Friday. The 10 investigations involved narcotics trafficking, underworld-conspired murder and gun possession, three of the four areas in which courts issue wiretapping warrants. All 22 arrests involved drug-trafficking cases, according to the report. The police obtained warrants for each instance of cellphone-tapping, allowing them to listen to conversations and read text messages. (Japan Times)

A team of Japanese archaeologists has found a piece of pottery painted with the face of ogre which dates back to the 12th century in Nara Prefecture in western Japan. The earthenware was excavated from a well built in the early 12th century at Shindo Remains in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture, where once Japan's capital was located, Japan's Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) public broadcaster reported Friday. The excavation team said that the pottery is round shape with about 10 centimeters in diameter, noting that a face of ogre was drawn on its surface in ink. In particular, the team stressed, bold lines are clearly shown for his eyes, eyebrows and tusks from his mouth, making the face quite humorous and impressive. (People's Daily)

On October 5, the National Police Agency announced a revision to the Anti-Organized Crime Law to be submitted to the ordinary session of the Diet. The initiative follows anti-gang ordinances adopted by all prefectures and administrative divisions last October. In spite of attempting to reduce criminal activities, the moves are not without their critics, reports Nikkan Gendai (Jan. 28). At a January 24 meeting broadcast on video sharing site Niko Niko Douga (see link below), a panel of writers and journalists, including Makoto Sataka, Manabu Miyazaki, Soichiro Tahara, and Takashi Tsujii, voiced displeasure with the measures, which are intended to discourage ordinary citizens from fostering the activities of yakuza groups. Since its institution in October, the prefectural legislation has been called "overkill," with critics calling it a violation of basic human rights. (Tokyo Reporter)

More than 500 vehicles were stranded on a section of National Highway Route 279 in Yokohama, Aomori Prefecture, on Wednesday night after a large truck and a bus skidded and became stuck on the road due to a blizzard, according to police. Early Thursday, Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura asked the head of the Marine Self-Defense Force's Ominato District Headquarters to send a disaster relief team to the town. According to the Aomori prefectural government, 250 drivers caught in the gridlock abandoned their vehicles and spent the night at eight public facilities nearby, including an assembly hall and a primary school, opened as temporary shelters by the Yokohama town government and the neighboring city of Mutsu. (Yomiuri)