Team Kansai
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Team Kansai (チーム関西) is a Japanese far-right civil organization active in the Kansai region, a coalition formed primarily by Zaitokukai, Shukenkai, and Shinshumikunikai, which carried out many hate crimes and assaults until it ceased operations in late 2012.
Although Team Kansai has ceased its organized activities, they are currently still active.
Biography edit
Overview edit
In October 2009, Zaitokukai, Shukenkai, and Shinshumikunikai formed Team Kansai as an allied group. Their enemies are political parties along the left, Koreans living in Japan, and other forces and people they consider to be "anti-Japanese in Japan". Many of the members of this group have been arrested for illegal activities such as obstruction of business, destruction of property, and disorder through extreme words and actions. Team Kansai was suspended on February 12, 2012, after Haruhiko Aramaki withdrew from the team and no candidate was found for the next representative.
History edit
Team Kansai was established as a coalition group of Kōdō suru hosyu organizations in response to the increased activity of Uyoku dantai street proclamations between 2006 and 2009. The first of their activities was the protest on the Mainichi Newspaper by Soyokaze (gentle wind). Team Kansai became more and more radicalized as the size of the group they belonged to grew, and starting with the protest against the Kyoto Korean School in December 2009, they committed four criminal incidents in the next year, 2010.
Most of the activities during this period were organized by the Zaitokukai and Shukenkai Kansai chapters. Dairyo Kawahigashi, Tatsuichiro Nakatani, Hitoshi Nishimura, and Haruhiko Aramaki, who contributed greatly to these activities, were called the "Four Heavenly Kings". The police, who considered this radicalization important, increased their vigilance and arrested the main perpetrators and radical protesters in several subsequent cases by Team Kansai. The "Four Heavenly Kings" were arrested as well.
The arrests of these key members and militants forced a reduction in the scale of their activities. Later, Shukenkai's influence in Team Kansai disappeared as Tatsuichiro Nakatani, the head of the Kansai branch of Shukenkai, took this opportunity to leave Team Kansai and Shukenkai also dissolved the Kansai branch on March 15. At the same time, a fierce conflict broke out between Nichigokai and Zaitokukai, and Nichigokai withdrew from Team Kansai. Zaitokukai and Soyokaze became the only influential organizations in Team Kansai.
However, when the main members returned in 2011, Team Kansai became active again, and after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011 and the resulting power shortages, Zaitokukai began to hold anti-nuclear and anti-pachinko themed street proclamations and protests. In the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011 and the resulting power shortages, Zaitokukai began to hold anti-nuclear and anti-pachinko themed street proclamations and protests. On the other hand, the Gendai Nadeshiko Club and the Society for the Prevention of History Revising, to which Team Kansai belongs, had a friction due to the trouble with Uyoku dantai at the street proclamation held on September 11.
There has been a series of conflicts within Team Kansai since 2011, and in addition, the mainstays of Team Kansai, Zaitokukai and Shukenkai, have also begun to confront each other. Shukenkai chairman Shuhei Nishimura thought that Team Kansai's radical activities would damage the entire Kōdō suru hosyu movement if they developed into large-scale terrorism, and he tried to break up with Team Kansai by not handling the aftermath of the subsequent arrests of members in the movement. However, the movement was organized by Zaitokukai chairman Makoto Sakurai, and as a result, the two sides came into conflict. In addition, it turned out that Shukenkai had a friendly relationship with Yakuza, and shortly after the subsequent incident by Team Kansai, Makoto Sakurai expelled Aramaki and three others involved in the incident, and declared that Shukenkai would not be involved in Team Kansai. In 2012, after Ryoko Nakatani was arrested on suspicion of fraud, Zaitokukai chairman Makoto Sakurai denied all friendship with Nakatani and hinted at other lingering charges. On February 12, a meeting was held in Osaka City with the main members of Zaitokukai. On February 12, a meeting of key members was held in Osaka City, where Haruhiko Aramaki announced his resignation as president and the suspension of Team Kansai's activities. In addition, the arrest of Haruhiko Aramaki and Hitoshi Nishimura in May for extortion also led to a reduction in the scale of activities.
Main member edit
Organizations edit
- Gendai Nadeko Club
- Japan Silk Road Study Club
- Japan Women's Association - Gentle Wind
- Kinanokai
- Nichigokai
- Shukenkai
- Shinshumikunikai
- Society for the Prevention of History Falsification
- Zaitokukai
Trivia edit
- Because of the simplicity of the name, there are many unrelated organizations with the same name.