Armed standoff in Tokyo after Yakuza killing, media circus in progress!

The second Yakuza-related shooting in a week:

A man shot and killed a gangster and then holed up in an apartment in a Tokyo suburb and was firing at police outside, police and media said on Friday, days after the fatal shooting of the mayor of Japan’s southern city of Nagasaki.

Kyodo news agency said there were no hostages, but residents near the apartment, belonging to a gang member in Machida, on the west side of the capital, had been evacuated.

As I am posting this, the stand-off continues. Television networks have sent their crews to the scene, and cameramen are vying for the best positions on the top of nearby apartment buildings from which they can film the event. Even as the 5 o’clock news programs cover other stories, live footage of the standoff scene is being broadcasted in the corner of the screen:

Update: We’ve still got live screen-corner video of the apartment building, and nothing new has happened yet.

This video gives a good idea of the media presence. It also shows some of the police scurrying around and blocking off the neighborhood:

Some more footage, with lots of police running and dramatic music:

Update 2: There had previously been some contact with the suspect via mobile phone, but for more than an hour now, no one has heard anything from the man. It is feared that he may have taken his life, as he has threatened to…

More to follow as this story develops…..