Susumu Kajiyama

The 55-year-old mobster was convicted of all 14 charges against him, including hiding money earned through criminal means and violating a law on investments. He had pleaded guilty to all charges.

Prosecutors had demanded that the court order Kajiyama to pay an additional ¥5.1 billion in forfeiture and that it confiscate $1.7 million worth of his personal assets.

But the court rejected the demands, ruling the money constituted the assets of loan-sharking victims and they should instead try to win financial compensation through civil lawsuits.

Presiding Judge Yoshinobu Iida called the crime extremely anti-social and said it was especially malicious compared with similar cases.

Kajiyama led a network of 21 moneylenders who charged interest rates well in excess of the daily maximum of 0.08 percent allowed under law. The interest charged was up to 1,150 times the legal limit.

The Japan Times Weekly: Feb. 19, 2005
(C) All rights reserved