Threat in Japan Leads to Indonesian President Being Escorted by Yakuza
President Prabowo Subianto is set to undertake a working visit to Japan on 29-30 March 2026. Prabowo is certainly not the first Indonesian president to visit Japan.
Long before that visit, there was one trip by an Indonesian president to the Land of the Rising Sun that holds an unusual story. Namely, receiving an escort from the Yakuza group due to a security threat.
This incident occurred during President Sukarno’s visit to Japan from 29 January to 11 February 1958. That visit was part of a series of overseas trips after previously stopping in several Middle Eastern countries and Thailand.
According to Merdeka (30 January 1958), while in Japan, Sukarno was scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, Emperor Hirohito, and visit various cities such as Osaka, Kobe, and Hiroshima. Behind that diplomatic agenda, the atmosphere in the president’s security circle was not calm.
The security team received information about a threat of attack against Sukarno from members of the Permesta movement or the Universal People’s Struggle. At that time, Indonesia was indeed facing major turmoil due to the Permesta rebellion led by Ventje Sumual, who demanded regional autonomy because they felt the central government was too focused on Java island.
That threat led the security team to devise extra measures. Historian Masashi Nishihara in Japanese and Sukarno’s Indonesia: Tokyo-Jakarta Relations, 1951-1966 (1996) records that one member of the security team, Colonel Sambas Atmadinata, directly contacted his old friend from the war, Oguchi Masami.
It was through this channel that the idea of using personal bodyguards emerged. Sambas was then introduced to Yoshio Kodama, one of the major Yakuza figures in Japan.
Kodama then ordered his subordinate, Kusunoki Kodotai, to mobilise Yakuza members to assist with security. As a result, around 20 Yakuza members were deployed to protect the Proclamator’s safety during the visit. This group later became known as the Ginza Police.
Interestingly, the threat was real, although it did not lead to a direct attack on the president. Because, at the same time, the main figure of the rebellion, Ventje Sumual, was also in Japan.
However, to Merdeka (5 February 1958), Sumual dismissed suspicions of a threat against Sukarno. He emphasised that the purpose of his visit was different.
“Sumual said that his current overseas trip has a single purpose, namely to consolidate and strengthen the position of regions opposing the central government,” stated Merdeka (5 February 1958).
The tight security was clearly visible throughout the visit. For example, when Sukarno met Emperor Hirohito, the entourage was closely escorted by a line of Japanese police. Merdeka (3 February 1958) described the atmosphere in detail.
“A line of Japanese police in uniform, tasked with standing guard due to rumours of a plot threatening the president’s life, escorted the procession of three cars carrying the president,” wrote Merdeka.
Although the security situation was successfully controlled, including thanks to the additional Yakuza forces, Sukarno’s visit was ultimately shortened. Originally scheduled for 18 days, it was cut to just 13 days.
According to Merdeka (7 February 1958), the decision was made after Sukarno received two sudden messages from Jakarta. First, the increasingly tense domestic political situation that required direct handling by the head of state. Second, news that the First Lady Fatmawati was expected to give birth soon.
In the end, Sukarno decided to return home earlier, closing one of the most unique visits in the history of Indonesian diplomacy, namely the Yakuza’s involvement in escorting the President of Indonesia.