The Yakuza, the largest gang in Japan, basically runs the country. They are centuries old and a highly secret society. In September, though, they publicly underwent a split. On Sunday, they killed their biggest boss. Hit the jump for why it happened and for more about their private world.

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Yakuza make it their job to keep secrets. They tattoo their ENTIRE bodies and wear full suits to cover up the tattoos outside of gang meetings. Laundering Japanese money, running street organizations, and especially assassinations only highlight the list of Yakuza activities.

So, for their Yamaguchi-gumi group to not only kill their boss- who calls all the shots- but also let it be known publicly is a huge deal. That means power and money is changing hands in a big way- or about to.

In September, the Japanese Yakuza publicly split in half. Tensions continued to run high. The gang even canceled their annual Halloween kids party.

Likely most of the Yakuza infrastructure will rebuild or shift because of this death. Tatsuyuki Hishida, the gang boss, got beat in the head until he died. His wife and closest gang friends found him tied at the hands and feet in Yokkaichi City. Earlier in the day, he was out of contact with all of them.

The 59-year old was rushed to a nearby hospital and confirmed dead. Police fear an all-out gang war is coming.

Source: BBC