Japanese mafia cancels family Halloween party because it could descend into gang warfare

The Yamaguchi-gumi Yakuza in Kobe cancelled the party as a precaution in the aftermath of an internal split

No one is sure how a Japanese Yakuza started celebrating Halloween in the first place (REX Features)

A Japanese mafia gang has been forced to cancel its annual Halloween party - over fears the event could be mired in violence.

The Yamaguchi-gumi Yakuza clan, based in the south-western city of Kobe, recently suffered a split after around 2,000 gangsters from 13 of the clan’s 72 factions formed the rival Yamaken-gumi gang.

Now organisers fear the annual gathering at the official headquarters of the gang, which has approximately 23,000 members, could descend into a violent gang battle.

A sign posted on the door outside their headquarters reportedly says: "The Halloween event that has taken place annually on 31 October will be cancelled this year due to various reasons.

"We regret disappointing parents and children who are looking forward to the event, but we promise to hold it next year, so please look forward to that."

Japanese gangs have a much higher profile than in other countries, they insist they are "humanitarian" organisations, and their headquarters are usually well known.

According to the Japan Times, Yamaguchi-gumi traditionally hosts community events such as a rice cake-making festival and invites neighbourhood children to Halloween parties where they had out sweets.

The Yakuza split over the leadership of Shinobu Tsukasa (Jiji Press/Getty Images)

The Yamaguchi-gumi is also known for its charity work, which buys it political good will.

Police officials warned that the new division could lead to a return to the 1980s when a similar split lead to 20 Yakuza members being killed, 70 being injured and over 500 being arrested, the Guardian reports.

After the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Yamaguchi-gumi members were some of the first on the scene dolling out aid.

The breakaway gang is reported to have become disgruntled by the leadership of Yamaguchi-gumi chief Shinobu Tsukasa.

Mr Tsukasa, 73, is reported to have increased the annual membership fee and ex-members believe he showed preference to Kodo-kai, an affiliate gang he founded in 1984 in the city of Nagoya.

No one is exactly sure how the traditionally Western Halloween festival came to be celebrated by the Yamaguchi-ma when few other Yakuza celebrate it.

According to the Daily Beast, a group of international school children went trick or treating in the 1980s and unknowingly knocked on the Yakuza’s door.

The confused Yakuza member who answered is said to have given them each 1000-yen bills ($10) to get them to go away and “a tradition began”.

Yamaguchi-ma is the country’s largest Yakuza and was launched by a former fishermen on the nearby Awaji island in 1915.

It is active in all but three of the 47 prefectures - or regions - in Japan.