Yoshinori Saito and Kaneko’s power struggle

Yoshinori Saito and Kaneko’s power struggle turns on an accusation that travels between the police and the yakuza: Saito tells a detective that Kaneko is bribing a cop, then relies on the resulting suspicion to make Kaneko appear disloyal to his own organization. Their conflict is rooted not only in personal antagonism but also in a dispute over whether to enter the meth trade.

Rivalry and the Disputed Business

Saito, the number four man in the Sumiyoshi-kai, and Kaneko had long been at odds. Their disagreement sharpened when Saito wanted to sell speed to the truck drivers who traveled through Saitama, while Kaneko wanted no part of the plan. Kaneko’s resistance was tied to concern for his boss: the boss had allegedly struggled with meth in his youth, and Kaneko did not want him drawn into a business that might revive those habits.

The Rumor as a Weapon

Saito told a detective in Section 1 that Kaneko was bribing a police officer, but withheld the officer’s identity. That omission sent detectives searching urgently for a mole. The accusation therefore created pressure within the police even before it could be checked, while its intended effect inside the yakuza organization was to cast Kaneko as a police informant. Saito used the channels of suspicion rather than confronting his rival directly; he lacked the nerve to challenge Kaneko himself and expected the organization to take care of him.

Disclosure and Unresolved Stakes

Two days after the narrator was told that Kaneko might be a police informant, a caller identified Saito as the source of the rumor and explained the business rivalry behind it. The narrator was advised to tell Kaneko as soon as possible. The account establishes the danger of Saito’s maneuver and the motive he had for setting it in motion, but does not record Kaneko’s response or the eventual outcome of the accusation.