Susumu Ishii
Encyclopedia
Susumu Ishii a.k.a. 石井 隆匡 was the second kaicho (Godfather) of the Inagawa-kai
yakuza
gang in Japan
. He was also 5th socho of the Yokosuka-ikka.
Ishii was born in Yokosuka in 1924. In World War II
, he was assigned to a kaiten
unit of the Japanese Navy
but never got the chance to die in a suicide attack
. After the war, he became a yakuza and joined the Inagawa-kai in 1958. He rose to the number two position in that gang, but was imprisoned
for a gambling scam from 1978-1984.
He was released from prison at the start of Japan's Bubble economy
. Through various loans, banking deals, and real estate scams, he accumulated assets of over $1.5 billion which he invested in projects around the world, including in Korea
and the United States
. In 1989, his group even hired Prescott Bush
, George H. W. Bush
's brother, as an advisor (Bush denies knowing his clients' criminal background).
But as the Japanese economic bubble burst, Ishii was no longer "the world's richest gangster". His assets and his health declined rapidly, and in September 1990 he retired as kumicho. He was replaced by Toi Inagawa
, son of the gang's original founder Kakuji Inagawa
.
Ishii died on September 3, 1991. Over 5,000 people attended his funeral at the Ikegami Honmonji temple in Ōta, Tokyo
.
Inagawa-kai
The is the third largest of Japan's yakuza groups, with approximately 15,000 members. It is based in the Kanto region, and was one of the first yakuza organizations to begin operating overseas.-History:...
yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
gang in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He was also 5th socho of the Yokosuka-ikka.
Ishii was born in Yokosuka in 1924. In World War II
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, he was assigned to a kaiten
Kaiten
The Kaiten were manned torpedos and suicide craft, they were used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II.-History:...
unit of the Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
but never got the chance to die in a suicide attack
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
. After the war, he became a yakuza and joined the Inagawa-kai in 1958. He rose to the number two position in that gang, but was imprisoned
Penal system of Japan
The Penal system of Japan is part of the criminal justice system of Japan. It is intended to resocialize, reform, and rehabilitate offenders...
for a gambling scam from 1978-1984.
He was released from prison at the start of Japan's Bubble economy
Japanese asset price bubble
The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991, in which real estate and stock prices were greatly inflated. The bubble's collapse lasted for more than a decade with stock prices initially bottoming in 2003, although they would descend even further amidst the global crisis in 2008. The...
. Through various loans, banking deals, and real estate scams, he accumulated assets of over $1.5 billion which he invested in projects around the world, including in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1989, his group even hired Prescott Bush
Prescott Bush
Prescott Sheldon Bush was a Wall Street executive banker and a United States Senator, representing Connecticut from 1952 until January 1963. He was the father of George H. W. Bush and the grandfather of George W...
, George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
's brother, as an advisor (Bush denies knowing his clients' criminal background).
But as the Japanese economic bubble burst, Ishii was no longer "the world's richest gangster". His assets and his health declined rapidly, and in September 1990 he retired as kumicho. He was replaced by Toi Inagawa
Toi Inagawa
Toi Inagawa a.k.a. Yuko Inagawa was kaicho of the Inagawa-kai yakuza gang in Japan from 1990 until 2005. He was also 2nd socho of the Inagawa-ikka....
, son of the gang's original founder Kakuji Inagawa
Kakuji Inagawa
Kakuji Inagawa , also known as Seijō Inagawa was a Japanese yakuza boss best known for founding the Inagawa-kai, Japan's third-largest yakuza syndicate....
.
Ishii died on September 3, 1991. Over 5,000 people attended his funeral at the Ikegami Honmonji temple in Ōta, Tokyo
Ota, Tokyo
is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 676,458, with 348,492 households, and a population density of 11,376.69 persons per km²...
.