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© KYODOActress Sawajiri admits to using MDMA, other illegal drugs
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macv
Sawajiri was found in possession of 0.09 gram of powder containing the drug. I detest these ambiguous reports - an amount of 0.09 grams of powder (legal, illegal?) contained (an unreported percentage of an) illegal substance. Geezuz H. 0.09 grams is already a very tiny amount.
The police said they launched an investigation into the 33-year-old actress after receiving information she was "involved in illegal drugs." I heard a rumor that the LDP was involved in illegal drugs, will police investigate :-)
3RENSHO
NHK will not hire an illegal drug abuser -- her career is finished.
DaDude
She isn't just an actress in one lowly NHK drama, she does movies and models too. She will probably do the usual public apology then return a year later or after. Her drug usage rumors have been flying around for years after several odd interviews.
oldman_13
Lock her up!
SaikoPhysco
A lot of actors actresses and performers in Japan are caught with drugs. Every month a new story about one or two. Either these people are extremely stupid when it comes to keeping things hidden or people around them are rat finks. I think it is the latter.
Serrano
Sawajiri, who has appeared in a number of films, TV dramas and commercials, was found in possession of 0.09 gram of powder containing the drug
I had to look it up. That's like one dose ( 80-100 mg. ) Is this arrest a record for smallest amount of an illegal drug?
quercetum
Somebody snitched on their boss or is just trying to protect her from abusing herself further.
Ganbare Japan!
@ Old man. Usually youre opinion is very wise, but this time I dont agree. Erika-chan deserves a 2nd chance. If she uses dangerous drugs one more time then lock her away. Her mother will be real disappointed, no drug or alcohol permitted in her Islam culture.
Maria
I wonder who dobbed her in. I bet Ms Sawajiri has an idea.
Don't do drugs in Japan - anyone who finds out has a stick to beat you with and will get you arrested and deported if they stop liking you.
Do the hustle
Another Japanese celebrity involved in illegal drug use. Perhaps Japan isn’t as ‘drug-free’ as they like to proclaim.
koiwaicoffee
Oh please.
Tom
The rat finks in this country are amazing. Never smoke a doobie with anyone because they will turn you in within seconds to spread the blame.
sf2k
Try 90 mg. Metric you just move the decimal
Japan needs a personal use exception so they target traffickers not users
powderb
An interesting observation by a Japanese lawyer on Twitter: she was already being followed and filmed in the street by the media the day before the arrest, which leads that lawyer to believe they had been made aware of the pending arrest. That seems unfair at best and quite likely illegal.
Meiyouwenti
At 33, she’s too old for that.
theFu
This has to be a joke.
1 pill worth and the police get a warrant to search a private residence? There are definitely more important things the J-Police should be doing. Seriously.
rgcivilian1
This is a real shame. What a waste of her talent to be turning to drugs. I hope they go after the dealers but as most familiar with drugs and crystal meth, 1. it's a tough drug to crack for the user 2. the meth labs constantly move making it more difficult for police to track it down to one drug producer. Even if they find the seller the maker will move to someone else and the cycle continues.
Strangerland
A warning to all - make sure to not stray from the list of approved intoxicants in Japan. You must only intoxicate yourself with intoxicants the government has approved, even when they are worse for you mentally and physically than other unapproved intoxicants.
Strangerland
The problem isn’t that she turned to drugs - had she stuck with the drug alcohol she would have been fine (legally speaking). The problem is that she intoxicated herself with a drug that has not been approved. Hence the legal problems.
Numan
Most likely someone snitched out of revenge, or someone else got caught, so they snitched for a lesser sentence with a big name.
I have been told by a Japanese friend who was arrested for marijuana possession. He was caught with ashes in a tray at his house, but he said the cops came with a warrant to search his house because a friend who was arrested on the street for possession several weeks earlier gave the cops the names of all the people he knew that smoked marijuana. He was on that list.
I most certainly agree!
finally rich
I hate drugs of all kinds but this place is a big circus and I'm not talking about wasted taxes on these cases.
How ridiculous all this massive mob bullying from the same society who says it had enough with ijime.
Not 1 or 2, but hundreds if not thousands of people taking their time to call every single TV channel/movie company/advertiser the actor/actress is related to, and demanding they cut all relations with that person. They literally want to destroy someone's life over a joint.
Numan
That is not true for Japan at all. You don't find roaming meth labs in Japan. You are talking about what you see on American TV. You been watching too much Breaking Bad!
Meth is dangerous to make because of the chemicals and process involved. You need to be well equipped and knowledgeable about chemistry, so you won't kill yourself or blow yourself up. Not to mention, really good ventilation because the fumes are noxious, and in a country like Japan, it would be easily noticeable with small spaces and nosy neighbors.
Most meth in Japan is imported from neighboring countries where it is made. Most of the ingredients are outsourced from China. In the US, most meth is imported from Mexico!
Mizuame
She was to have a major role in the Sunday night drama on NHK next year. An arrest for admitted possession of one little tablet of MDMA will finish that. Someone (her yakuza boss?) was out to get revenge.
kohakuebisu
Somebody's dobbed her in and the punishment, in terms of lost work, will way exceed the crime. The media circus will also be hugely disproportionate.
I've not seen any of her work, but my sympathy toward her extends as far as she is actually talented. Many Japanese actors and tv personalities strike me as wholly untalented and survive on a created image or persona. In that case, doing drugs will destroy that created image or persona. Since Japanese people see Freddie Mercury (just one example) as talented, nobody cares how many drugs he took. Teachers in schools still teach We Will Rock You to seven year olds like my daughter. In Japan, the more replaceable the celeb, the more morally upstanding the celeb has to be. Them's the rules. If anyone is losing out, it is genuinely talented actors, musicians, performers who get no opportunities because they all go to untalented replaceable idols who've signed up to connected agencies and play a media game which includes not taking drugs.
indigo
No facts....
finally rich
@kohakuebisu
I guess this difference you pointed out is more a matter of gaijin/nihonjin than talented/talentless artist.
Talented or not, any japanese "artist" will be hammered nonstop for weeks for simply taking a picture with a gang member, offering their entertainment show (doing their job!) in a small party with the attendance of a small scam group, evading taxes or god forbid smoking a joint in the privacy of their homes.. meanwhile stuff like "smashed the papparazis' cameras " "took hard drugs in the past" are just a 3sec. small detail when introducing a foreign artist in a talk show etc
Milky Joe
People need to stop being so uptight about personal drug use. While I’m definitely against drugs being available to the youth and kids, if you’re an adult you should be able to make your own decisions. As long as there’s harsh penalties for crimes associated with heavy drug use, and possession of hard drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines, I don’t see an issue.
Pukey2
Christ, is this woman still around? I'd nearly forgotten about her. Her claim to fame was acting like a stuck-up so and so while the rest of her colleagues were trying to promote their movie at a press conference. I read she even regretted apologizing.
Bye, Felicia.
fxgai
... oh the HEROINE, yeah now I get it :) had to triple take there
Karyuudo
Honestly, if she's using it for her own pleasure, then it's her business. If she's selling it to others... that's a whole different topic.
Serrano
Try 90 mg. Metric you just move the decimal
Yeah, that's what I did. .09 grams is 90 mg. One dose. A typical dose is 80-100 mg.
Japan needs a personal use exception so they target traffickers not users
Agreed. Erika's 90 mg. / one dose definitely puts her in the users category, and barely at that.
Seto Kaiba 4
Looks like they will have to do some major CGI editing removal. I would like to see her "odd interviews" when she was on MDMA.
InspectorGadget
Probably not any more.
JeffLee
What does her lawyer have to say?
michaelqtodd
Is she still married to the director guy Takashiro? I remember that it was a big deal that she was dating somebody twice her age. Is great that she has become a successful actress. I am sure that she will get past this small problem.
Police efforts should be directed against sellers not users.
rgcivilian1
Ok can someone explain to me what this means; "The problem isn’t that she turned to drugs" aside illegal? I see a problem when people turn to drugs did I miss something?
Lizz
People need to stop being so uptight about personal drug use.
Of course even occasional dropping of drugs like marijuana or cocaine can have long term effects on behavior and overall health (leaving a lasting impact on the brain, heart and lungs, increasing risks of mental illness, becoming addicted, overdosing, or experiencing a terrifying episode of psychosis etc.). So I am not at all uptight as long as the so called casual/recreational user can afford to pay the cost of these treatments without burdening the responsible half of the population that has virtually no footprint on the health care system but gets their insurance raised by these idiots in any case.
WilliB
Jeeze, I am all for proper law enforcement, but this is just ridiculous.
Pukey2
michaelqtodd:
Divorced, a few years back, I heard. Yeah, surprise!
rgcivilian1
re:So I am not at all uptight as long as the so called casual/recreational user can afford to pay the cost of these treatments without burdening the responsible half of the population that has virtually no footprint on the health care system but gets their insurance raised by these idiots in any case.
Guess when the person under influence of the so called casual/recreational user is behind a airline, car, truck, boat and just by the casual/recreational use of a drug kills many, which has happened it is ok with this approach even if it incudes someone you really care about. hmmm I see your point the only problem is insurance premium. I get it. thanks for clearing it up.
Now in regards to the article this "tip" two things 1. someone cut a deal, 2. someone wanted her out of the way.
Strangerland
If she had stuck with the legally approved drug, alcohol, she would have been fine. So the problem isn't drugs in and of themselves, the problem is that she turned to an unapproved drug, rather than sticking with the drugs that the Japanese government has approved for self-intoxication.
Whether you think someone should be a teetotaler and abstain from drugs altogether is a different topic, as this one is about her being picked up for choosing a non-approved drug.
David Varnes
The story's inconsistent. Was she, or was she not, arrested for MDMA? Did the police find MDMA in her apartment or didn't they?
MDMA isn't crystal meth, as some above mention. MDMA is commonly known as 'ecstasy.'Lizz
Guess when the person under influence of the so called casual/recreational user is behind a airline, car, truck, boat and just by the casual/recreational use of a drug kills many, which has happened it is ok with this approach even if it incudes someone you really care about.
Because I am including irresponsible use of all addictive drugs, even like nicotine that are highly addictive but among the most socially acceptable because they do not disturb consciousness, impair judgement or social behavior.Strangerland
What a ridiculous conclusion you've come to from the information you were given.
Strangerland
It would be akin to me saying I guess you're ok with a black market that executes thousands of people a year, and executes retribution through violence as part of international crime networks.
But even though that is the environment created by the outdated war on drugs you support, I doubt that is something you actively support, unless you are a part of one of those cartels.
yoshisan88
I do not support taking illegal drugs. However, your point can be easily argued. People under the influence of alcohol kills many all over the world. It is far more dangerous than drugs. According to you logic it should have be banned long time ago? Yet why is it not happening?
Toasted Heretic
Huh. Somebody tell that to Mr Willie Nelson.
Actually, I don't see what the fuss is about, ok, yes, it's illegal (in Japan) but who is she harming?
Kumagaijin
She needs to be in rehab, not jail. Maybe both, but she obviously needs help. Hopefully she can get clean in prison at least. Unfortunately, these young actresses in Japan seem to get attention from "hip hop" type Japanese men, with the ragged jeans, baseball cap, facial hair types that come across as real cool, but are drug dealers.
coskuri
Not, for her. She is not good girl Becky... Sawajiri's persona (talent if you prefer) is being the sexy girl from a trash background with trash friends. I wouldn't know her name without her previous scandals.
Or someone needed a round of free PR. She was keeping "one" pill of stuff ( 0.09 gram ) in her house, just one ? ROFL. That's as plausible as if you came to my place and you could find one square of chocolate. Never happens unless I got a call asking me to let the sweet there for your visit.
No, neither. But it's likely she would have needed being longer at school.
Strangerland
Or neither.
Jail serves no benefit to her or society. Rehab will only serve a purpose if she actually has a problem, and is interested in being rehabilitated. If she doesn't have a problem to rehabilitate, or doesn't want to be rehabilitated, then that's a waste of time and money and serves no good purpose.
CaptDingleheimer
Some residue MDMA hidden away in the privacy of her own home. Crime of the century.
kohakuebisu
And Pierre Taki was a musician in a not-really-underground (think Chemical Brothers) techno band who'd probably taken drugs for years. However, none of that counted once he started voicing Olaf and appearing in tv dramas. If that's what you're doing, a whole new set of rules apply. The inquisition was of him as a Disney and NHK actor, not a techno producer.
Sawajiri is a bit edgy, but you can't do drugs and be on mainstream tv. You can be a bad girl, another famous one is Kimu Taku's wife, but drugs are too edgy for them. Apparently Sawajiri had the 90mg in two tablets, which means she only had a little bit of very low-grade gear, but that won't matter. For those talking about rehab, I'd need to see her having done interviews clearly off her face like Noriko Sakai before recommending that.
Lizz
It would be akin to me saying I guess you're ok with a black market that executes thousands of people a year, and executes retribution through violence as part of international crime networks.
======================================================================
Aggressive lobbying by pharma companies, under the thumb of opioid suppliers and producers, to stop new regulations and actually loosen access to painkillers has essentially achieved the same result. So yes to more middle ground public health compromises dealing with drugs but you are still going to have to pay the piper somewhere. Freedom and pleasure are still a choice that will impact crime, health and public safety. No available policy framework exists where there is not harm somehow.
Diego3
I wonder if they call the drug, "Mari" in Japan....
Tawkeeo
Don't do drugs y'all. There are many ways to release stress and increase happiness.
Have sex.
Exercise.
Drift cars (in legal courses).
Play games.
Listen to music.
Travel abroad.
sourpuss
Pretty dumb move. But she's an actress, so I guess it goes with the territory.
Strangerland
Doing MDMA? I'd say it has more to do with her being a normal 33 year old in this day and age than being an actress. She's someone who's been out and about in the world, and intoxicating one's self is pretty normal amongst humanity.
Lizz
Sawajiri is a party girl and MDMA is a club drug. Not saying that with any particular fascination or condemnation, it is all over the news and that is the way she is describing herself. Presumably Japan has rave parties as well, just with fewer drugs.
indigo
now you understood? today some TV Chanel and movie contractors are claiming some billions yen from her.
looks like a money scam set-up. recorded without her consent in a club. money predator was already there preparing the set-up.
never see a poor junkie going on TV for this kind of stuff.
Daxy
Let her be!
Toasted Heretic
That's the attire of an entire generation of young adults. Not all drug dealers. You can wear the threads and listen to the music without being a criminal.
sir_bentley28
Preferential treatment much?
Strangerland
I met a teenage Japanese kid in full hip-hop gear last year. I chatted with him a bit, mentioned something about something hip-hop, and asked him who he was in to. He listed off some artists I hadn't heard of - it turns out he was into psy-trance, but liked the hip-hop look.
This kid wore the clothes without even listening to the music!
Loki520
Isn't this the second time she's "fallen from grace", Japanese talento-style?
rcch
...shocking, truly shocking, horrendous, heinous crime . . . . . . i,m not gonna be able to sleep because of this. Erika what did you do ... you,re gonna have to press your forehead to the ground now...
smithinjapan
She won't be punished, same as other celebrities. She might lose one TV show contract, then in a few months to a year she'll be back, with a sympathetic audience, blaming this or that and pretending to be contrite until she's caught and not punished again, and again, and again, and again. Wasn't a musician just caught for the fifth time last week and has never been punished?
sourpuss
Interesting how most of humanity manages to get by without using drugs deemed illegal. Is that something you think is abnormal? Do you think that being 33 and having traveled abroad leads to drug use? And that is what? Worldliness? And being worldly justifies illegal drug use?
I think it has more to do with Sawajiri's desire to APPEAR worldly because image is her business. Just like other actors and musicians, if people don't think they're cool, their whole raison d'etre ceases to exist. It's really not rocket science. By 33 one would think she'd be past this superficiality, but I guess not.
No matter how much you protest the logic of the drug laws, and that seems to be your main gripe, there are still plenty of people who support them.
Strangerland
I don’t buy that claim. You’ll have to provide something in support of it.
No, it’s neither abnormal to have done drugs or not. Self-intoxication has been part of humanity since we figured out how to do it. Abstaining has been part of humanity by those who prefer not to self-intoxicate, for the same amount of time.
Well, I think being human leads to self intoxication for most people. Many stay within the list of approved intoxicants, some stray. But no, I don’t think that one needs to have traveled in order to want to try drugs. Many, many people drink alcohol who never travel.
As for justifying illegal drug use - the law is wrong. Simple as that. It’s an attempt to treat a health issue with the criminal system, and had been a complete and utter failure that has only exacerbated the problem, created a black market and international drug cartels by those who would exploit the illegal status of the drugs.
Sure and I was one of them until I was awoken from the cultural brainwashing I’d received, and looked at the issue with an objective eye rather than just repeating the lies and illogic I’d been told.
WilliB
sourpuss:
If you include alcohol and coffee in your claim, both of which were/are deemed illegal in some locations, I doubt it holds up. The problem here is who does the "deeming".
Madden
Just another model that happened to look good and built her "career" on that without having any other kind of talents. You won't see me crying for her.
Lizz
So you are for the FDA regulating prescription opioids and heroin like how exactly ? Like the government traditionally has the tobacco industry, for instance ? So we are using fentanyl or oxy off label for migraines and minor back pain ? I guarantee when the feds roll over as they did for PurduePharma it will make black market deaths look like a walk in the park.
Strangerland
And why would you? This girl committed the moral sin of going off the approved list of intoxicants. She deserves no mercy. She should rot in prison for this moral offence.
PhantomAgent
These "outings" seem to happen with a certain regularity, i.e, they seem orchestrated! I guess she said "No" to the wrong oji-san.
sourpuss
And once again we’re conflating health issues and social issues with a desire to get high. Get off the “high horse” and take a step back. There’s a law. You say it’s wrong. Most people say it’s right. It says don’t do these drugs. It says if you do these drugs you may be punished. It also says you can choose other drugs to get high. She chose the wrong drugs according to the law.
I say she’s stupid for that. Again you say the law is wrong. But it exists as do laws everywhere. There are always some people who, despite a very real and possible consequence, choose the wrong path. Again I say she’s stupid and doesn’t deserve our sympathy. This is no mental health issue. This is a a Friday night issue. The black market and the drug cartels exist already. Her choice supports them. This is not a social issue, it’s a trying to be cool issue. I say the individual has responsibilities as well as rights. You say they have only rights. I say she screwed up. You say it’s the system’s fault.
Seems we’re at an impasse.