Arrested Australian rugby player details Japan prison time

You play with fire, you get fired!

Moral of the story - dont even think about buying/using drugs in Japan. It will cost you your freedom.

Plenty of awesome whisky, sake and craft beer to indulge in, drugs are simply not needed!

If he truly learnt his lesson, Ferguson deserves another chance in life.

Hah, he must have though they put him in a 5 star hotel instead of a prison. And this was just 1 month. Imagine the privilege life he must have had.

A man of that size on a Japan sized bed, even a J chair is going to feel uncomfortable. I hope he can get home soon and enjoy furniture made on a proper scale.

I found the description of the "prison" a little confusing. People awaiting trial are generally detained in "jail," which in the case of Tokyo is the Kosuge detention facility. On the other hand, Kosuge does not have multiple occupant cells. So it sounds like Ferguson might be held in a cell at a police station. In any case he would not be in a prison (or penitentiary if you prefer) because those are places where people found guilty of crimes serve their sentence. If he's lucky the Japanese court will let him out with time served, followed by deportation.

The food was pretty ordinary and I got a really bad back," said the father-of-three.

Bad bed, minimum heating, no exercise that place goal it to make you confess either you did bad thing or no.

@NCIS

That is inaccurate. You are held for up to 10 days at a time in (usually) the precinct you are arrested in. After 10 days an extension may be requested for another 10 by the detective/prosecutor, with a maximum of 30 days total.

Going to the prosecutors office involves a bus trip (chain gang style) a few times a week. Busses make rounds similar to school busses, only stopping at different precincts along the way to add to the chain.

Well that’s a bizarre response. Check your shoulder might find a chip on it.

The food was pretty ordinary

I feel bad for him, australian prisons are well-known for their buffet and Nespresso coffee machines.

I read a few books but that was about it

No Netflix? That's torture. No wonder Japan is highly criticized by Amnesty International.

If he plea guilty he probably might end with a penalty to pay and a suspended sentence.

All depends on how much “remorse” will show.

And for some of you that think when a person commit a crime and deserve a harsh jail punishment I say these are medieval system.

A human being if commits a heavy crime yes deserves prison and containment time,yet we’re talking of human beings.

In this Norway and the nordic European countries are a clear example of how to make.

A lot of Australians seem to be in the slammer these days?

why is that?

somewhere else you will be hanged mate...lucky that this is Japan

I know prison isn't supposed to be comfortable, but not allowing you to sleep on a mattress seems like torture.

Rugby League is a great spectator sport, but isn't always played by people immune to the kind of naivety that leads them to forget that when not in Rome (or Oz) you can't do what the Romans (or Aussies) do. Like Paul McCartney, Ferguson deserves a second chance so I hope he'll be able to resume his career elsewhere while reflecting on that ridiculously expensive "snort of coke" in Japan.

"I got myself into this mess and there's no one else to blame."

Admirable.

That was a huge contract amount by comparison to other foreign rugby players here.

Maybe there is a future Locked Up Abroad episode.

A lot of Australians seem to be in the slammer these days?

Australia's incarceration per capita is about 1/4 of the US

And what did he think, for committing a crime would send him to a five star hotel???..

If you commit crimes you will have your punishment..

Japan is a country of laws and possessing illegal drugs is a veeeeery serious matter in Japan..

Good Japan justice in action..

Australian jails can be pretty vicious too......

Im reminded of a reporters question to a jail Superintendent, " Rotten " Ron Woodham.

"The conditions in the cells are worse than those for gorillas in the zoo "

Ron : "Yeah, will gorillas dont go round murdering and raping do they "

Touche .

Hey "Tokyo Living ".....the theory and construction of a punishment doctrine are more varied than your view and that of Japan.

Some countries put rehabilitation first and jail as a last resort punishment.

Japan still stuck around 100 years behind on this.

It was just me and some Japanese guys who couldn't speak English. I read a few books

so he is complaining as a big strong man who assaulted, took illegal drugs that could lead to the death penalty in many Asian countries…that Japanese people should speak English?

Did they make him sleep on a futon? Man of his size on what is basically a toy "mattress" - yeah, he might end up with permanent back issues.

"It was just me and some Japanese guys who couldn't speak English. I read a few books but that was about it. The food was pretty ordinary and I got a really bad back," said the father-of-three.

"Seriously, the mattress would have been a centimeter thick. I could hardly stand up for a few days. I certainly wouldn't want to go back."

Please hold on for a second, so I can cry for this guy………….oh look, my toast is ready.

I’m over it.

Poor old Blake. He was never the sharpest tool in the shed. You would have thought that someone would have had a long talk with him before going to Japan. Cocaine is the drug of choice in the Rugby League in Australia.

Hopefully his little stint in a Japanese jail will be enough to make him wake up and get off the crap.

Kick him out the guys always been trouble.

From an Australian article regarding the location he was held:

But nothing compared to the nightmare of being locked up for a month in the cells at Azabu Police station in Roppongi, a district in Tokyo known for its nightlife entertainment where the fallen NRL star found trouble.

Moral of the story - dont [sic] even think about buying/using drugs in Japan. It will cost you your freedom.

Especially if you're famous. Drugs proliferate in red light districts in Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno and Ikebukuro. Just a normal visit there by the police, they can catch at least one in every 10 minutes. If one is eager for promotion, these are the places.

Dude there is no VIP treatment in Japan.

Too much money, too much free time, not enough common sense. Hope he doesn't want people to feel sorry for him. Having played with multiple clubs in Australia tells you something.

And that’s the version of a famous international rugby player. Now let your imagination play how that turns out if you are only a common foreigner or Japanese citizen. My guess is, you would pray for having learned to play rugby in your youth and might then change into that guy’s luxury treatment. lol

Meanwhile, back in the USA, a bar fight with some weed in your pocket will get you a night in jail AT MOST. More likely, you'll just pay a $20 ticket.

a bar fight with some weed in your pocket

He had COCAINE in his pocket or his nose, not weed.

I’m surprised he wasn’t given some kind of orientation including zero tolerance re drugs. He can’t be the first one to have them, just unlucky to be caught. The club would be aware of this. It must be very lax or naive, or perhaps doesn’t know how to communicate with its foreign stars. The zero drugs policy is taught to high school students at international schools in Japan. Not staying that stops them.

Darwin award for this guy what a tool.

Umm, I get the impression from the interview that he is still alive.

If this arrest was the result of his addiction hopefully, he has hit bottom. Most incarcerations in the US are drug related one way or another. Japanese are not the poster kids for moderating their mood enhancements. Alcohol is a drug and abused big time in Nihon. Pray for his recovery. It is more important than money or your career, Judgments aside we all have the propensity to make terrible mistakes but not everyone gets caught!

Australia's incarceration per capita is about 1/4 of the US

Maybe Steve was referring to home incarceration due to government lockdowns during the pandemic… if that's the case… it’s a gross understatement. Poor Aussies.

Australia and Japan want to take there relationship with To the next level but Australian want all their military to be exempt of being trialled in the Japan legal system for crime committed in Japan. Even to be out on bail for a narcotic drug charge in Japan is unusual. I see him getting leniency and Deported. My good old Japanese mate got 6 months for pot back in the 90,s

Blake Ferguson has been skating on thin ice for a long time. Even conversion to islam did not stop sex assault and other charges in Aus.

John-san ..your statement is wrong..Austalia does not want it's service people to face capital punishment in Japan. Tha's all.

a bag O'pot and his career went UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE !!

purple_depressed_bacon

Did they make him sleep on a futon? Man of his size on what is basically a toy "mattress" - yeah, he might end up with permanent back issues.

Somebody has never slept on a high-quality futon.

Our anger tends to get the better of us and unfortunately makes some people resort to violence! This really destroys our life and the life of our loved ones! Ferguson had so much going for him but he threw it all away!

If you can't do the time don't do the crime!!

Sympathy at its best!! "I'm going to plead guilty and hopefully they will show some leniency. It's important that I accept responsibility," he told the Sydney Daily Telegraph. "I got myself into this mess and there's no one else to blame."

Kalmychi, can't figure if your response is being sarcastic by quoting the tired old line "If you can't do the time don't do the crime". Hopefully we can all have a little empathy for his stupid actions. However, his pleading seemed genuine by placing blame on himself by accepting the consequences of dancing with devil drugs.

Pray for peace in this troubled world and let's get over this pandemic & not take another person's inventory

Somebody has never slept on a high-quality futon.

And why would I want to when there are civilized things called beds?

purple_depressed_bacon

"Somebody has never slept on a high-quality futon."

And why would I want to when there are civilized things called beds?

Because you might be staying as a guest at someone's home, where they use futons. Or, perhaps staying at a ryokan that only offers futons. There are a number of reasons why you might sleep on a futon instead of a bed, just like there are reasons you might find yourself sitting on a zabuton on the floor rather than in a chair.

Seems to have gotten off light really. Assault whilst on drugs, he should be doing years and then deported for life.

Yes it makes sense if you are traveling to a foreign destination, one might encounter other forms of bedding. Futon is lovely in the Japanese ryokan setting. I slept in a hammock sometimes during my work in the Amazon.

Still have my woven floor sleeping mats from 15 years of living in the Pacific Islands. Many futon shops in my city are popular with students and those who are minimalists. Some futons are lighter in weight and can be easily stored after sleeping in a smaller living space. One of my favored futons was one that functioned as a two-seater couch. However, when laid flat on the floor it became a very lovely thick sleeping mattress. Another plus is your futon can be easily aired out. I see many in Japan outside balcony's. Sleep well, eat well, be well

Yes it makes sense if you are traveling to a foreign destination, one might encounter other forms of bedding. Futon is lovely in the Japanese ryokan setting. I slept in a hammock sometimes during my work in the Amazon.

Still have my woven floor sleeping mats from 15 years of living in the Pacific Islands. Many futon shops in my city are popular with students and those who are minimalists. Some futons are lighter in weight and can be easily stored after sleeping in a smaller living space. One of my favored futons was one that functioned as a two-seater couch. However, when laid flat on the floor it became a very lovely thick sleeping mattress. Another plus is your futon can be easily aired out. I see many in Japan outside balcony's. Sleep well, eat well, be well