The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday approved prosecutors’ request to keep actress Erika Sawajiri detained for another 10 days. Sawajiri, 33, who was arrested on Nov 16 for allegedly possessing 0.09 of a gram of powder containing MDMA, will remain in detention until Dec 6.
Police said Sawajiri has also admitted to using illegal drugs, such as marijuana, LSD and cocaine, for more than 10 years.
Prosecutors said police are trying to identify the means through which she has been obtaining the drugs.
In a related development, a fashion designer acquaintance of Sawajiri -- a man in his 30s -- was arrested Tuesday for allegedly possessing the synthetic drug MDMA, Kyodo News reported.
© Japan Today
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itsonlyrocknroll
J Prison sentences for drug offences, are primarily a means to make examples offenders, also to send out the harshest message to deter.
Where is the opportunity to change one's lifestyle. This could include some form of counselling and yes rehabilitation.
serendipitous1
Surprised the police could even see 0.09g of the drug. Even 0.09kg is a small amount but 0.09 grams? Minuscule. Infinitesimal. Anyway, she's obviously got a drug problem so get her into rehab. A short stint in prison won't help much.
itsonlyrocknroll
Erika Sawajiri, has admitted to committing what society and the judiciary consider to be a serious criminal offence in many instances resulting in lengthy custodial sentences.
When I refer to rehabilitation, I am suggesting as a means to keep Erika Sawajiri out of prison coupled with periodic compulsory testing.
PhantomAgent
Wow, she must have said no to some really powerful Oji-san! It's a beat up!
Chip Star
MDMA has been in the news again lately because it may be a treatment option for severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety.
Psychedelic therapy involving magic mushrooms or MDMA to treat mental illnesses could be five years away from regulator approval in Australia and the Victorian government is being urged to make the state a research leader in the field.
Scientists test how pharmaceutical-grade MDMA combines with psychotherapy to help patients with a severe form of PTSD
captain-caveman
For someone who was living on the wrong side of the law for 10 years, she folded and spilled the beans rather easily, as if this was her 1st time around the block.
onsenandbeer2013
What's funny is she was tested and tested negative for any drugs...
Christopher Glen
Excessive detention without charge is inhumane.
nandakandamanda
Stranger and stranger. According to this J news site, she admitted that one of the two capsules was hers.
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20191116-00010013-abema-soci
chykes
Was the punishment is equal to the offense? I don’t know. Did she deserve it? I can’t say. Was that justice? They say Justice is blind.
nandakandamanda
These two capsules containing 0.09 gm of MDMA she was looking after on behalf of a male friend, it was reported.
The guy has now been arrested for possession of MDMA, according to the above article. It does not make clear whether the cops acknowledge that 'her' capsules were actually his, or whether he had still other capsules.
Can two people be arrested for possession of the same two capsules, I wonder?
Strangerland
Rehabilitate what? Doing drugs in and of itself is nothing requiring rehabilitation - otherwise everyone who ever had a drink would need to go to rehab.
Rehab is for people for whom drugs have become a problem in their lives.
What were the problems in her life that require rehabilitation? She seemed to have been a hard-working person, who wasn't on drugs at a period of time in which she needed to be focused for work (there were no drugs in her system). I haven't heard of her causing any problems, or the drugs being an issue, so what would be the point of rehabilitation?
This I agree with. It's ridiculous to lock someone up for daring to intoxicate themselves, when people go out and do it legally in droves every single night of every day of ever year.
Cricky
Don't do drugs it's not worth it?
for 10 years building a career no one cared but some busy body cared enough to tell on her. Still I'm waiting for someone to explain exactly who she harmed, seems Jealousy is now a crime.
Wakarimasen
Ridiculous. She has already confessed to everything but the Kennedy assassination. This is just spiteful.
Fagui Curtain
the article forgot to mention that she is being sued here and there for breaching her contracts because of bad image etc.... for a total sum north of 1 billion yen that she doesn't have, so she will probably go into bankruptcy...
wouldn't be surprising to see her starting a JAV or soapland career to pay back her debts once she's out of prison
Don't do drugs ! its not worth it !
JeffLee
Did her lawyer agree to that? Why aren't we allowed to know about what her legal defense is doing?
Derek Grebe
0.09g? Incarcerated and vilified? How very ridiculous.
I bet some lucky sod had a very good time with this young lady after a night of clubbing.
itsonlyrocknroll
That's "recreational"....
itsonlyrocknroll
I deplore the reactional use of mind altering drugs. I also believe there has to be an opportunity for Erika Sawajiri to rehabilitate and resume her career. This is a unnecessary witch hunt, when in reality Erika Sawajiri drug use is a medical health issue.
Strangerland
Correction, non-approved drugs are not acceptable. One is permitted to self-intoxicate themselves with approved drugs - for example alcohol. It is when one strays off the approved list they they show their moral decrepitude.
Cricky
Totally agree, she is an idol to many youth, doing drugs is not acceptable at all.
But she was using drugs for 10 years and an idol? So maybe doing drugs isn't such a problem? Insane to to lambaste her now when you claim her as an idol previously but ditch her now knowing she recreational used drugs while you liked her.
people are very judgemental after the fact, did she really change? Or just your presumption?
Kakukakushikajika
Could be (I hope so) but hard to tell based on some of his/her previous posts/comments
Martina Takano
Totally agree, she is an idol to many youth, doing drugs is not acceptable at all.
Jonathan Prin
Hostage justice typical case ?
How to "kill" someone's life with a pill of 90 mg.
Kakukakushikajika
That will teach them
Kakukakushikajika
Holy Jesus Christ! Yeah just lock them up! That will them right? Poor man.
Cricky
Otacon512 you are spot on I would rather have my tax money spent on "addicted" persons rather than "incarcerated" persons. Certainly I fail to see the crime here.
Otacon512
To be fair, anything is "potentially harmful" if abused. You could die from drinking too much water, or kill someone with a fork. But you're not going to solve the issue by banning water and forks.
Obviously, when it comes to drugs some things are easier to abuse and more harmful than others, but prohibition obviously does nothing (as we've seen over and over again) to prevent it, and arguably causes more harm than good. In fact, I can't see that it does any good.
Unless they're harming someone or something else, they're free to do whatever they choose with their life and body. Casual/recreational users aren't an issue in any way, and addicts could be handled far batter by helping them kick the addiction and rehabilitating them instead of incarcerating them. You're spending tax payer money either way, so might as well treat them as fellow human beings with problems instead of criminals to be locked up for harming no one.
theFu
This is all over 1 pill??!
Just convict her and put her on death row. That seems to be what Japan is demanding.
1glenn
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/mdma-ecstasy-abuse/what-are-effects-mdma
MDMA sounds potentially harmful, as does cocaine. Marijuana and LSD are sometimes used for medically legitimate purposes; marijuana for relief of chemotherapy symptoms, and LSD for treatment of mental illness. I think my doubts are two: is 0.09 gram of MDMA a sufficient amount to justify incarceration? It is such a small amount that it seems possible to have come from association with someone else, and not proof of consumption. Likewise, is a confession during police custody sufficient to justify locking someone up?
Cricky
"as we cannot have the morally decrepit walking among us."
Yep that's it, we all must abide by morals decided by others. There are rules, I make my own rules. Am I no less qualified.
rgcivilian1
Leave the poor gal alone, this is her private life. What else does the media want from her as she already got fired from her acting job by NHK.
Strangerland
Sawajiri is rightfully having her human right to freedom restricted for the moral and legal offense of choosing to self-intoxicate herself with an intoxicant not on the list of approved intoxicants. Those of moral standing must only self-intoxicate with substances that have been approved by the government. If one has the moral failings to self intoxicate with a substance off this list, they thereby forfeit their human right to freedom, as we cannot have the morally decrepit walking among us.
papigiulio
Pressuring her to get her dealers. And seeing as she admitted she has been using for over 10 years and they already arrested one of her acquaintances, the dealers must be sweating right now. Her career is finished.
Cricky
Yes it's a conviently nice distraction for the public, but I'm still waiting for the Authority to explain who the victims were? As an adult I'm at a loss did she harm, steal, damage anything on her 10 year drug spree?
macv
What if tests proved the amount of illegal substance of whatever she used was minuscule like only 5% and the rest was legal cut, would her charges and penalty be lessened? Happened to a famous musician buddy who was given stuff by a Japanese dentist that turned out to contain only 5% illegal ingredient. His name was smeared in media nationwide the damage done.
Police say (be skeptical about anything police say) Sawaji admitted she used various more than 10 years. Can one be penalized for saying they did something illegal in the past with no evidence or witnesses?
kohakuebisu
As if she is a threat to the public....
oldman_13
Good.
Yubaru
Ok, the first 3 days, then the 10 day extension, and now another 10 day extension, how much does anyone want to bet during the course of the next 10 days she is officially charged with something and will not be let free!
I'll bet too that she doesnt get bail either!