Goto’s expelled status in the Yamaguchi-gumi

Tadamasa Goto’s expulsion from the Yamaguchi-gumi turned one of Japan’s most powerful yakuza figures into an ex–crime boss, fractured his organization, and brought the narrator’s reporting into direct contact with the consequences of organized-crime politics. The official explanation and the police account diverged: the public line concerned Goto’s conduct within the organization, while police identified the publication of Heisei Japan Taboo Compendium 2008 as the tipping point.

Expulsion and Its Stated Cause

Around October 14, Goto was officially expelled from the Yamaguchi-gumi. The party line presented the decision as punishment for partying and playing hooky. Police, however, assured the narrator that publication of Heisei Japan Taboo Compendium 2008 had been decisive. The expulsion thus carried two accounts of cause: an organizational explanation focused on Goto’s behavior, and a police account that connected the change in his status to the book’s release.

Organizational Consequences

The expulsion extended beyond Goto. A number of his associates were suspended, expelled, or banished for life, and the Goto-gumi split into two crime families. Goto was no longer a crime boss but an ex–crime boss: a change in title that reflected a wider rupture in the group around him. The narrator received congratulatory calls from police officers, friends, other reporters, and sources, while police also advised lying low for a time.

Aftermath and Uncertain Motives

A later account describes Goto taking Buddhist vows at a temple in Kanagawa on April 8, 2009, and beginning studies toward becoming a Buddhist priest. The narrator questioned whether this was a publicity maneuver rather than sincere repentance, noting that Goto still faced another trial and might seek to make a favorable impression on the judge. The narrator also reported a rumor that senior figures in the Yamaguchi-gumi had placed a contract on Goto because he knew too much and had a history of dealing with police. Whether Goto’s religious turn reflected fear, strategy, remorse, or some combination remained unresolved; the narrator allowed that genuine regret was possible even while finding the conversion troubling.