Age, Biography and Wiki

Yoshinori Watanabe was born on 5 January, 1941 in Mibu, Tochigi prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese yakuza boss (1941–2012). Discover Yoshinori Watanabe's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 71 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation Yakuza
Age 71 years old
Zodiac Sign Capricorn
Born 5 January, 1941
Birthday 5 January
Birthplace Mibu, Tochigi prefecture, Japan
Date of death 1 December, 2012
Died Place Kobe, Japan
Nationality Japan

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 5 January. He is a member of famous with the age 71 years old group.

Yoshinori Watanabe Height, Weight & Measurements

At 71 years old, Yoshinori Watanabe height not available right now. We will update Yoshinori Watanabe's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

Family
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Yoshinori Watanabe Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Yoshinori Watanabe worth at the age of 71 years old? Yoshinori Watanabe’s income source is mostly from being a successful . He is from Japan. We have estimated Yoshinori Watanabe's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income

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Timeline

Yoshinori Watanabe (渡辺 芳則) was a yakuza, the fifth kumicho (chairman or Godfather) of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization.

1960

In 1960, the Yamaguchi Gumi was involved in a deadly gang war in which Yoshinori Watanabe proved himself to be violent but effective mediator in resolving disputes.

His hard work and talent helped propel him upward in the ranks of the Yakuza underworld.

1961

In 1961, Watanabe spent a year in prison for possession of weapons, and he was again arrested in Osaka in the mid-70s for weapons possession.

1980

The 1980s was a turbulent time for the Yakuza organizations, the Yamaguchi Gumi that Yoshinori Watanabe belonged to was not excluded from this turmoil.

1981

Kazuo Taoka, the Third Generation Kumicho of the Yamaguchi Gumi, died of a heart attack in 1981.

1982

He became leader of Yamaken-gumi in 1982, and became the head of Yamaguchi-gumi in July 1989, at a ceremony in Kobe attended by over 100 affiliated gang leaders.

At the time of his succession, which happened after a four-year gang war between the Yamaguchi-gumi and the Ichiwa-kai, Watanabe was the fifth head of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

During the first few years of being the 5th Generation Kumicho (Don, Chairman, or Godfather), Yoshinori Watanabe made very few changes to the Yamaguchi Gumi Yakuza organization.

The heir apparent, Kenichi Yamamoto, died in 1982 of liver disease.

1984

Kazuo Taoka's widowed wife acted as Kumicho until she named Masahisa Takenaka to lead the Yamaguchi Gumi in 1984.

Masahisa Takenaka's succession led to a violent division in the Yamaguchi Gumi and a violent gang war.

1985

Masahisa Takenaka was gunned down in 1985 by the Ichiwa-kai gang, a Yamaguchi Gumi splinter gang.

Four weeks later, two Ichiwa-kai gangsters were killed at a bicycle track by Yamaguchi Gumi members.

A year later, the Ichiwa-kai gang's leader was shot to death.

The war between Yamaguchi Gumi and the splinter group killed more than 30 gang members and a few bystanders.

At one three-month period, 12 people were killed and 17 people were wounded.

This war would be known as the Yama-Ichi War.

1989

He became kumicho in 1989.

In 1989, Yoshinori Watanabe took the position of 5th Generation Kumicho of Yamaguchi Gumi and ended nearly ten years of violent power struggle within the largest yakuza organization.

Yoshinori Watanabe's huge ceremony to commemorate accession was held at a local shrine and infused traditional and feudal aspects of the yakuza society.

All the leadership of the Yamaguchi Gumi wore traditional Japanese clothing and carried fans.

During the ceremony, Yochinori Watanabe and Kazuo Nakanishi, the then-acting boss of Yamaguchi and Watanabe's main rival, formally exchanged cups.

1990

In the early 1990s, Yoshinori Watanabe started to make some radical changes in the Yamaguchi Gumi Yakuza organization.

He successfully restructured the Yamaguchi Gumi in such a way that it increased the control the organization had over internal and external dilemmas; moreover, it made decreases to the police's ability to scrutinize all of the organization's activities.

In order to make the Yamaguchi Gumi into a powerhouse of organized crime nationwide, Yoshinori Watanabe strengthened bonds with allies and formed new ones with rivals.

1992

He was known for a more low-key approach than his predecessors, partly due to an anti-gang law passed in 1992.

1995

It was unscathed by the 1995 earthquake, and under Watanabe's order the Yamaguchi-gumi claimed to have given away 1 billion yen of goods and 20,000 free lunches to survivors, although there were accusations that the motives were not wholly altruistic.

Police estimated that he received US$1 million a month from his aides in honoraria, and the full-time members of Yamaguchi-gumi had increased by one-third to 16,500 a decade after Watanabe took over.

On January 17, 1995 a powerful earthquake struck Japan.

Yoshinori Watanabe's house and headquarters, the Castle, seemed not to be damaged by the quake, but one of Yoshinori Watanabe's office buildings was destroyed.

Yoshinori Watanabe ordered his affiliates to provide food and water to the needy, but it is believed that the yakuza forced businesses to provide them food and water at discounted price or even for free.

2000

By the year 2000, Yoshinori Watanabe had increased the size of the Yamaguchi Gumi by 5,000 gangsters and maintained offices in 43 of the 47 Japanese prefectures.

His home and headquarters in Kobe occupied the area of a city block, and was known to neighbours as "the castle."

2003

In November 2003, the Osaka High Court ordered that Watanabe and three others pay 80 million yen in damages for the killing of an off-duty policeman in 1995 by a Yamaguchi-gumi affiliate, and his appeal to the Supreme Court failed a year later.

The rulings were historic in that they set a precedent in recognizing that a crime boss, though not directly involved in the criminal act, is responsible for the act if his subordinates are found guilty of that crime.

These decisions specified what yakuza activities were considered business activities and that gang violence is “closely related with the business.” It was believed this new precedent would greatly affect the money-making ability of Yoshinori Watanabe, Yamaguchi Gumi, and other yakuza organizations.

2005

He retired in 2005.

Yoshinori Watanabe joined the Yamaken Gumi, a subgroup of the Yamaguchi Gumi Yakuza, after moving to Kobe.

He retired from his position in July 2005, reportedly due to ill health.