The Yakuza members in Japan are considered quite a peculiar breed. Their organizations in Japan are legally recognized entities, rarely resorting to firearms. Most of their income comes from entertainment and leisure industries, such as running gambling-oriented arcade shops or managing Japan's unique establishments that cater to the preferences of men worldwide. There is no broad public demand for illicit substances like in the USA, so while smuggling and selling drugs like "laundry powder" or white crystals does happen, it's not as rampant as in the USA.
Compared to gangs in the USA, which occupy neighborhoods in cities, the Japanese Yakuza tends to operate more discreetly, often overseeing activities on streets known for entertainment. However, once these Japanese gangs set roots on the West Coast, they inevitably assimilated some traits of local criminal organizations. Combined with the inherent discipline and obedience of East Asian culture, these Japanese gangs gradually built a formidable presence on the West Coast, even at the cost of significant sacrifices.
When contrasted with the disorganized and undisciplined Mexican gangs, or the notoriously chaotic and unstructured African American gangs, these Japanese gangsters—nicknamed "little guys" due to their stature—adopted a mix of traditional Japanese methods and the "essence" of American street culture. While back in Japan, these same individuals might assist the government in maintaining order during natural disasters, in the USA, they quickly transformed into more organized, disciplined, and ruthless operatives, surpassing their American counterparts in their level of brutality.
Although five successive leaders of the Yamaguchi-gumi were taken down by Chinese gangs, this doesn't mean the Japanese gangsters lack the capacity for violence. On the contrary, due to their unique cultural traditions, when these gangsters act, they can be even more ruthless and indifferent to consequences than local American gangs.
This brings us to the brothers Taro Hiroen and Jiro Hiroen, along with four other individuals. These six men exemplify this violent extremism.
Despite not receiving direct orders to attack Richard Castle, Taro and Jiro, having benefited from the now-deceased Taro Watanabe, acted impulsively. Driven by Japan's peculiar cultural tradition of "Gekokujō" (overthrowing one's superiors), the brothers decided to act on their own. Without informing their gang, they took four others, split into two groups, and armed themselves with rocket launchers, planning a suicide-style attack on Castle's estate.
Japanese society heavily emphasizes hierarchy and obedience. Subordinates must obey their superiors, and it's common practice for veterans to scold and even physically discipline newcomers. This tradition explains why Taro Hiroen, as the senior member in their West Coast Yakuza gang, could easily command the others, including his partner who had smuggled weapons across the US-Canada border. The four others, despite holding lower ranks, admired the brothers' audacity in defying orders and challenging authority.
The brothers' plan was simple. They lacked the expertise to operate advanced weapons like the TOW anti-tank missile system, which uses wire guidance. However, their cargo included four RPG rockets and four launchers. These "guerrilla warfare tools" required minimal training; as long as you could pull the trigger, you could fire. Frustrated by their inability to contact Watanabe's assistant and suspecting that Watanabe had met a grim fate, the brothers hastily devised a two-pronged attack. From the north and south, they would each launch two rockets at Castle's estate.
Though they knew this plan was unlikely to inflict significant damage, their bizarre mentality was simply to annoy Castle, even if they couldn't harm him. Under Taro's orders, the team split. The partner who smuggled the weapons led three men aboard a rented yacht, approaching Castle's estate from the north via the coastline to launch their rockets. Meanwhile, Taro and Jiro positioned themselves at the southern entrance, near the estate's main gate, also ready with rocket launchers.
Jiro, sitting in a van near the southern gate, was still trying to figure out how to operate the two TOW anti-tank missiles using the instruction manual. He hoped to fire one into Castle's estate.
This absurd scheme by the six gangsters caught everyone, including Castle, Joe, and Beckett, off guard. Somehow, these six men had made it to their intended positions with rocket launchers in tow.
However, no one should expect too much from gangsters who had never handled firearms back in Japan. Jiro spent two hours reading the TOW missile manual in the van but still couldn't grasp how to operate the 1960s-era heavy weapon system, originally developed by Hughes Aircraft for the US military. Despite its age, the weapon was complex enough to require professional training, far beyond the capabilities of two untrained gangsters.
Realizing they couldn't figure out how to use the TOW missiles, Jiro reluctantly accepted his brother's suggestion to stick to the RPG launchers. The plan was to fire the rockets at Castle's vehicle once he emerged, then make a quick escape.
To add to the chaos, the estate's main gate was swarming with reporters. The brothers believed this attack would severely "intimidate" Castle.
While the brothers prepared for their attack, Jarvis, who had been instructed by Castle to enhance the estate's security measures, began noticing suspicious activity. Using the numerous cameras and reporters' live broadcasts outside the estate, Jarvis identified unusual movements. Although he lacked clearance to deploy drones offensively, Jarvis launched a stealth drone to investigate the suspicious van parked near the southern gate.
The drone, equipped with advanced reconnaissance technology, quickly identified the two men inside the van along with their weapons: two RPG rockets and two TOW anti-tank missiles. Infrared imaging and other techniques confirmed these were the escaped gangsters from the previous night.
Castle, in the middle of a conversation with the CEO of Lockheed Martin, was informed of the alarming situation. The same gangsters from the night before had brought heavy weaponry to his doorstep, planning to launch an attack amidst the gathered media.
The Lockheed Martin CEO, already nervous, was caught off guard. "I'm here for business, and now there's an armed attack?!" The prospect of heavy weapons being used didn't sit well with him.
Castle, ignoring the CEO's growing panic, calmly asked Jarvis to check the northern coastline for any suspicious activity. Since intelligence indicated four RPG rockets were unaccounted for, and only two were in the van, there was a possibility the others were positioned elsewhere, likely at sea.
Meanwhile, Castle ordered Big Ivan, his top enforcer, to prepare for immediate action. Ivan, who had been frustrated the night before due to the lack of action, was eager to mobilize his men and secure the estate.
The Lockheed Martin CEO, initially shaken, soon calmed down. Realizing that the estate's main building was far from the gate and that RPG rockets had a limited range of 150 to 300 meters—rarely exceeding 500 meters—he concluded he was safe.
However, the CEO's attention quickly shifted to Castle's computer screen, which displayed the live feed from the stealth drone. Despite the reporters and media outside, none seemed aware of the drone overhead.
This was precisely the breakthrough the CEO had been seeking—a functional and completely stealth-capable drone technology. Astonished, he thought, This guy actually developed it?!
(End of Chapter)
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