TOKYO (TR) – Construction of the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Central Tower completed last month. As the name implies, the 21-story structure sits in the middle of the Roppongi entertainment quarter. Despite its prominent location — situated between the Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown complexes — the completion has been accompanied by no fanfare by owner Sumitomo Realty & Development.
This is perhaps not surprising given the troubled past of the property that the building sits on. Dating back five decades, it is a tale of gangsters, shady land deals and court proceedings. The property was once the home of the infamous Celebrity Choice Club.
It was essentially the Roppongi Hills of its day. It boasted night clubs, a beauty salon, a spa, a rooftop garden and a tennis court. The opening gala, in 1973, was attended by big-name celebrities, corporate magnates and dignitaries .
The building was also the headquarters for the of the Tosei-kai criminal syndicate, which was headed by grizzled gangster Hisayuki Machii. Machii, a first-generation Korean, also headed the company Toa Sogo Kigyo Co., whose abbreviation forms the first part of its commonly used name, TSK.
CCC . Through a close relationship with Kazuo Taoka, the chairman of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Machii expanded Toa Sogo Kigyo’s empire in Japan and South Korea. A key element was the Kanpu ferry, which linked Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture and Pusan.
Membership in the Tosei-kai swelled to around 1,500 in the 1960s. M.
