2 gangsters stabbed in fight in Kanazawa restaurant.

KANAZAWA, Japan, Sept. 1 Kyodo

Two gangsters were stabbed to death in a fight that erupted in a family restaurant in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sunday night, police said Monday.

Killed in the brawl were Masayuki Takada, 27, and Tetsuyasu Saeki, 23, members of the Sakabayashi-gumi, an affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the major crime syndicate in Japan, the police said.

The roughly 20 other people in the restaurant were unharmed, police officials said.

The police are investigating the case as murder resulting from infighting between gangster groups, and are searching for gangsters who fled the scene.

The police said they received an emergency call at around 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, informing them that more than 10 men were fighting at the restaurant.

On arriving at the scene, police found the two gangsters lying on the floor bleeding. The two men were taken to hospital but were found to be dead on arrival.

According to police investigations, four people, including Takada and Saeki, who were seated near the door of the restaurant, started quarreling, and were joined by a group of about 10 other men who came in from outside.

Amid angry shouting, the 10 men then chased Takada and Saeki around the restaurant and stabbed them.

The restaurant is situated in a residential neighborhood near the center of Kanazawa. The Sakabayashi-gumi has an office in Kanazawa.