The cause: "The direct cause of the 2015 split was money. The Yamaguchi-gumi levies a tax on all of its affiliated factions to the tune of 1+ million yen (~ $8,100) a month. However, not being able to bear such an expense any longer, certain factions decided to rebel and form the new “Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi” organization."
Indirectly, the article quotes shifting Japanese public opinion about "designated organized crime groups" and their place--or rather, their lack of it--in society.