Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate arrested over ear-severing attack in Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefectural Police arrested a Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate on May 21 over a brutal ear-severing attack that left a driving-service operator critically injured. The keyword Yamaguchi-gumi ear-severing attack appears at the center of the investigation into the December 2024 assault in Sawara Ward, Fukuoka City.
Police announce arrests
Fukuoka Prefectural Police said they arrested 47-year-old Seiji Iwanaga, an executive of a Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated group, and a 46-year-old associate identified as Yu Wakisaka on suspicion of injury and witness intimidation. Authorities announced the arrests on May 21 and said formal charges relate to a violent incident that occurred in December 2024. Police declined to disclose whether the suspects have admitted or denied the allegations.
Details of the alleged attack
According to the police’s organized crime unit, the two men confronted a man in his 30s who runs a driving-service business late at night in Yamanaka, Sawara Ward. Investigators say the suspects displayed multiple weapons and ordered the victim to “choose quickly,” then used a cutter selected by the victim to sever his right ear. The attack reportedly caused injuries expected to keep the victim impaired for about a year.
Additional violence and intimidation
Police allege that after the ear was severed and the victim was left stunned, Iwanaga struck the area where the ear had been with his palm, inflicting further violence. The following day, Wakisaka and others are accused of telling the victim and his employee in strong terms not to report the incident to the police. Officials have charged the suspects with both physical injury and intimidating a witness, reflecting a coordinated effort to silence the victim.
Victim’s condition and medical response
The victim was left with only his earlobe initially, police said, but the severed ear was later returned and surgically reattached at a hospital. Medical staff performed adhesive-type reattachment surgery after the ear was recovered and brought to medical care. Authorities have not provided an update on the victim’s longer-term recovery or whether there were lasting sensory deficits following the operation.
Suspected motive linked to business dispute
Investigators say Iwanaga targeted the victim because of anger over the victim’s driving-service operations, which the police described as being run in practice by the injured man. Authorities believe the assault was intended as a punitive measure to punish or intimidate the victim over the business. The probe is exploring whether the attack was meant to curb the victim’s activities or to serve as a warning to others in the same trade.
Organized crime investigation and legal steps
The case is being handled by the prefectural police’s organized crime investigation division, which has stepped up inquiries into allegations of gang violence tied to business disputes. Prosecutors will review the police files before deciding whether to indict the suspects on formal charges of injury and witness intimidation. Police said the investigation remains ongoing and that they are continuing to collect evidence and interview witnesses.
A spokesperson for the prefectural police reiterated that they have not disclosed the suspects’ pleas and that further information will be released as the investigation advances. The arrests underscore renewed attention on violent reprisals tied to disputes over local businesses and services in the region.
