Susumu Ishii

Susumu Ishii was the second ''kaicho'' (godfather) of the Inagawa-kai yakuza gang in Japan. He was also fifth ''socho'' of the Yokosuka-ikka.

Ishii was born in Yokosuka in 1924. As a child, he moved with his family to Kamakura where they ran a small noodle shop. In World War II, he was assigned to a kaiten unit of the Japanese Navy but was not given the chance to take part in a suicide attack. After the war, he became a yakuza and joined the Inagawa-kai in 1958. He rose to the number two position in that gang, but was imprisoned for a gambling scam from 1978 to 1984. After serving his time in prison Ishii spoke to the media, saying; "We cannot succeed in the yakuza world unless we are active and aggressive until our early forties. After that, we have to adapt our lives to ordinary society. We cannot always be so forceful."

His house remains in Yokosuka city, a three-storey, brick house in French, Greek and Italian styles.

Ishii had ownership of a golf club. Iwama Country Club was 36 holes, luxurious golf course. Ishii gathered the wealthiest of Japan and asked them to buy memberships, at a cost of over 200,000 USD. The golf course was a success, bringing millions to Ishii.

He was released from prison at the start of Japan's bubble economy in 1984. Through various loans, banking deals, and real estate scams, he accumulated assets of over $4 billion which he invested in projects around the world, including in Korea and the United States. In 1989, his group even hired Prescott Bush, George H. W. Bush's father, as an advisor (Bush denied knowing his clients' criminal background).

The ''Yomiuri Shimbun'' newspaper stated, "Almost every money transaction was related to Susumu Ishii in the 80s and 90s." Ishii's money went overseas as well. He invested in hotels in Monaco, Hong Kong and America. In total he invested 700 million dollars around the world. Throughout various investments he was able to have successful international relations and grow his money.

Ishii was known as the "World's Richest Gangster" or "The Gangster With the Golden Touch". Provided by Wikipedia