Ex-KAT-TUN idol gets suspended term for marijuana possession

the ruling reflects the fact that the defendants "told investigative institutions their sources for obtaining marijuana and severed relationships with them."

Wow! Six months in prison for 2.2 grams of pot? It was then suspended because the dobbed in their supplier. I wonder who dobbed them into the cops in the first place.

It was then suspended because the dobbed in their supplier.

First time drug offenders are given suspended sentences in Japan unless there is a specific reason to not give a suspended sentence. It has nothing to do with “dobbing in” anyone.

It would be nice if one day Japan evolves on that topic and stop prosecuting pot smokers. Waste of time, money and police resources.

The only good thing about him is that he admitted and apologized. Nowadays there are many people who cannot admit things.

Singing for a suspended sentence is the Japanese way. Pot smokers be warned!

Marijuana is a serious crime in Japan and those who break the law must be punished.

It must be good to be famous! You can get away with crimes that us "normal people" would be lost in jail for.

Two Point Two GRAMS.

If it was coke, meth, heroin, or some real drug it would be an amount worthy of mention.

But, weed? 2.2G is nothing. That'll cost about $20 at a LEGAL cannabis shop in California.

Japan needs to get behind the times and begin to change the laws for medical and recreational cannabis. It’s actually unpatriotic to adhere to the current cannabis laws forcibly put in place arbitrarily by the U.S. during occupation after the war. Like article 9, cannabis laws need to be revised with the changing times and environment. Cannabis was brought in by the Jomon people’s from Asia tens of thousand of years ago as sacred plant and also part of Shinto religious ceremonies. Japanese have lost their close affiliation with Cannabis and Hemp culture and more medical and scientific research by Japanese Pharmas/cosmetics industries need to happen to not lose ground from their global competitors. Could be the next cash crop that these older Japanese farmers could cash in on as the rest of the world including many global Pharma and cosmetics industries are actively researching and developing many natural and life changing drugs, etc.

Another dumb law that seems to exist so some nitwits can have jobs running innocent people through a ringer.

Two grammes? That's not even a sixteenth in old money - pocket money stuff. The equivalent of buying a six-pack of beer.

Japan really has a screwed up view of drugs. Also a view entirely imported from the West.

It must be good to be famous! You can get away with crimes that us "normal people" would be lost in jail for.

No, normal people would not be in jail for a first time drug offence in Japan. What gave you that idea? It’s clearly not based on actual evidence, so I’m curious as to what made you think this.

Japan really has a screwed up view of drugs. Also a view entirely imported from the West.

From America for that matter. They were the ones who decided to make marijuana illegal in the 30s, then push this silly idea on the rest of the world. The rest of us have been paying for it ever since. Morons.

Japan so far behind the times-as usual...

"Reefer Madness" imported, improved upon, and taken to the Nth degree by the Nipponese prosecutorial authorities.

From America for that matter. They were the ones who decided to make marijuana illegal in the 30s, then push this silly idea on the rest of the world. The rest of us have been paying for it ever since. Morons.

Moronic American here - perhaps the other countries which bought into the silly idea need to take some responsibility for their own actions.

I have mixed feelings on marijuana. As a native Californian I have noticed the large cities in my home state have turned into cesspools (SF, LA, now Sacramento), etc. One of the major issues causing this is drug abuse (and I am seeing this as a liberal).

Moronic American here

You participated in that in the '30s?

perhaps the other countries which bought into the silly idea need to take some responsibility for their own actions.

They do as well. And we need to learn to insulate ourselves from future lunacy. The political decision to make marijuana illegal in the US has resulted in millions facing legal issues around the entire world. The world needs to learn that each country should be making its own decisions based on actual evidence, not hysteria from any single country.

@Strangerland - the excessive punishments are outright wrong but again, each country can and should take responsibility for their own laws. The U.S. was not alone in the so called "hysteria" (yes I remember the reefer madness films and also remember the backlash which occurred in the 60's).

I am a liberal and I question the logic of drug legalization due to the unintended consequences.

Marijuana is an interesting case; it is a wild growing plant which can be smoked, ate, etc. in its natural state. A libertarian would say that people have the right to ingest what they want. The other side would say people have no right to ingest what they want (the government should decide) due to the overall impact on society or as some countries might say "social order". (Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato would have an interesting debate on this issue)

I can say that what people are smoking (or eating now) is nothing like what was available in the 60's, 70's, or 80's. Genetic engineering is creating much stronger strains of marijuana. Below is a marijuana company boasting of stronger strains with higher THC contents.

https://honestmarijuana.com/strongest-weed-strains/

I can understand people want to be free to smoke a joint or devour a brownie. I worry about where this is all going and my home state is a prime example of what I would not like the world to look like. This is an example of Sacramento (not LA or SF)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7375005/California-business-owner-says-relocate-shop-homelessness-crisis.html

@Strangerland - First time drug offenders are given suspended sentences in Japan unless there is a specific reason to not give a suspended sentence. It has nothing to do with “dobbing in” anyone

Nothing to do with it? I guess you missed this part of the article.

“Presiding Judge Kenji Nagaike indicated the ruling reflects the fact that the defendants "told investigative institutions their sources for obtaining marijuana and severed relationships with them."

They should pay restitution to Junnosuke Taguchi for wasting his time over nothing.

Everyone try to keep in mind that the U.S. occupation government is the original source of marijuana's illegality in Japan. And also that the U.S. federal government still has marijuana classified as an illegal drug and conducts raids in states that have legalized it.

One question is if Japan is a colony of the U.S. or not, cause if its not, then it should have legalized marijuana long ago. But it hasn't. Why?

@Strangerland - the excessive punishments are outright wrong but again, each country can and should take responsibility for their own laws.

Yes, I agreed with that above. As should the US take responsibility for pushing their prohibition upon the rest of the world.

It's not a one or the other thing, both have responsibility.

Marijuana is an interesting case; it is a wild growing plant which can be smoked, ate, etc. in its natural state. A libertarian would say that people have the right to ingest what they want.

In this regards, I'm with the libertarians. I don't think the government has the right to tell people what they may or may not ingest.

I can understand people want to be free to smoke a joint or devour a brownie. I worry about where this is all going and my home state is a prime example of what I would not like the world to look like. This is an example of Sacramento (not LA or SF)

You may not like that, but the alternative is punishing people for ingesting a substance.

Now beyond that, the whole idea of criminalizing drugs is a logical fallacy. Drug addiction is a mental health issue. There has never been a mental health issue solved through punishment and criminalization. Ever. And criminalizing drug use has been a complete and utter failure for the 100 or so years it's been one. No culture has ever eliminated drug use through prosecution.

All prosecution does is create an economic incentive for those who are willing to skirt the law, either out of greed or desperation, in which they can make a LOT of money off a small investment. This results in a black market, which when looked at objectively is much more damaging to society than people who would choose to ingest chemicals or products that may not be the healthiest.

So we're dealing with a health problem by trying to criminalize it, creating a black market that exists outside the law, and thereby must handle its own disputes without the backing of the legal system, using violence and coercion to do so.

The whole thing is a complete and utter mess. I can understand people not liking drug use - I personally think the world would be a much, much better place without alcohol. I rarely drink myself - it affects my athletic output for 3-4 days afterwards, and at my age, I don't feel the benefits of alcohol are worth the cost on a physical level.

But I have a nice set of alcohol at my home that I offer to guests when they come over. That's their drug of choice, and if they enjoy it, I say let them.

Fortunately, I don't have to buy that alcohol from a guy who distilled it in his basement under who knows what conditions, unless he got it smuggled in from another country without any regulation or quality control whatsoever. And fortunately if my friends start to turn to the bottle too much, I can point them at programs funded to help them stop drinking, which they can go to without fear of losing their job and/or being arrested.

I wish the same set of circumstances existed for my drug doing friends.

“Presiding Judge Kenji Nagaike indicated the ruling reflects the fact that the defendants "told investigative institutions their sources for obtaining marijuana and severed relationships with them."

They told the investigators, and the judge took that into consideration. It's not like he's going to ignore it.

But they almost definitely would have received suspended sentences anyways. That's the norm. So it cannot be said they got the suspended sentence because they talked, that just ensured it. Consider it like a boxing match where one guy seemed to win 9/12 rounds, but gets a knock-down in the final round. When it goes to the judges score cards, the knock-down would cinch up a win, but it's likely the 9/12 rounds he won that were what got the win.

Years ago the public shame of his arrest under the marijuana laws of that time drove my 19-year-old friend to suicide in his prison cell, all because of 5 grams in his pocket. I've been a sworn enemy of these evil laws ever since. The laws have ruined the lives of far more people than the substance itself. The reefer madness of the Japanese government shows no sign of abating, but the tide of history is turning as more and more Japanese choose to exercise their right to smoke whatever they darn well please. After all, such rights are called freedom, innit?

Sell out your friends and you’re all good. The fact that the world is moving on from these archaic laws? Nothing to see here , move along.

Sell out your friends and you’re all good.

You don't even need to do that. The default in Japan is that unless there is a reason to not give a suspended sentence, first-time offenders get a suspended sentence.

@Strangerland - I understand your argument and also this can be linked to the Prohibition era.

I do not think the U.S. is responsible for the draconian drug laws in Singapore and other S.E. Asian nations. And again, other countries are free to enact their own laws. I am more than willing to criticize my country of citizenship but the U.S. is not responsible for every ill that ails the world.

Which drugs would you legalize? All of them? We should also address the opiates which the drug peddling pharmaceutical companies are pushing these days.

If addition is a mental health issue and the cure is to attempt to get the addict to stop the use of the addictive substance then it can also be argued that removing access to the substance. (I am not sure I agree with the removing access method)

There are many parts of your post of which I agree (i.e. the Cartels smuggling drugs, etc.). However the unintended consequences of legalization cannot be ignored.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-the-unintended-consequences-of-more-potent-pot/

I predict more and more U.S. states will legalize marijuana and it will eventually lead to removal of federal laws against marijuana. It will be interesting to see how this affects society but I probably will not be alive to see what the impact is (positive or negative)

I do not think the U.S. is responsible for the draconian drug laws in Singapore and other S.E. Asian nations. And again, other countries are free to enact their own laws. I am more than willing to criticize my country of citizenship but the U.S. is not responsible for every ill that ails the world.

I agree, as I did above - each country has responsibility for setting their own drug laws.

But that doesn't change the responsibility the US has not only for pushing their own prohibition on the rest of the world.

Which drugs would you legalize? All of them?

Yes. It's not like logic suddenly changes because of the drug. Dealing with mental health issues using the criminal system is an offense to logic. It doesn't fix the problem, and it creates so many other problems.

I'm not saying they should sell heroin like they do whiskey in the shops, but it should not be illegal. Make it available at a pharmacy, to those who have taken a class to get a permit. Educate them in the class. Provide them with means to get help to stop when they are ready. Make them renew this permit every year. Put rehabilitation info in every packet of heroin. Redirect the money spent on prosecution and imprisonment into education and rehabilitation. Teach the people that drugs are bad, and help them stop if/when they are ready.

But let's stop this inanity of thinking that dealing with a mental health issue using the criminal justice system makes any sense. It doesn't, and we have decades of data, and a continued preponderance of both drugs and drug users to show us that.

We should also address the opiates which the drug peddling pharmaceutical companies are pushing these days.

I agree. What's worse though is the doctors are prescribing opioids getting people hooked, then cutting them off. These people then move their addiction to heroin to feed it - a pipeline directly from the legal market to the black market.

If addition is a mental health issue and the cure is to attempt to get the addict to stop the use of the addictive substance then it can also be argued that removing access to the substance.

Of course removing access to drugs is the best solution.

It would also be cool if they never existed in the first place.

But we need to deal with realistic solutions, and criminalization does not remove access to drugs. It simply creates the environment for a black market to survive providing them instead.

@Strangerland - thanks for the interesting debate. I am not sure we are in full agreement but I think that as with many issues there are two valid opposing points of view for the legalization of drugs.

I do not agree with your issues about the U.S. When Canada relaxed drug laws the U.S. said nothing. Also I believe none of the countries laws in the article below were impacted by the U.S.

https://drugabuse.com/the-20-countries-with-the-harshest-drug-laws-in-the-world/

We just disagree on this issue

I do not agree with your issues about the U.S. When Canada relaxed drug laws the U.S. said nothing.

Sure, but I'm talking about 100 years ago, not now. The US was right to not comment directly.

Six months in jail the prosecutors sought, for 2 grams of weed. How modern is Japan really? And how do conservative Japanese reconcile Japan's attitude toward drugs with the fact that such an attitude was imported from the West in the first place?

"Two Point Two GRAMS.

If it was coke, meth, heroin, or some real drug it would be an amount worthy of mention.

But, weed? 2.2G is nothing. That'll cost about $20 at a LEGAL cannabis shop in California."

It is dishonest to compare heroin to Coke or meth, which are not physically addictive and very rarely fatal. Did you know methamphetamine was invented in Japan? Societies should actually not generally be in the business of policing what their people consume.

I saw this puss groveling on the ground in front of the cameras on TV. There's no way on Earth he's that sorry for having a little weed. Pure theatrics.

I saw this puss groveling on the ground in front of the cameras on TV. There's no way on Earth he's that sorry for having a little weed. Pure theatrics.

Probably - but that's how you get a suspended sentence in Japan.

@Speed Tell you what....if you want to take on the establishment and risk your freedom you can be our guest. Or you might hand Junnosuke a real weapon he can use to defy the ACTUAL puss bags that need their groveling fix in order to feel satiated enough to deliver actual justice.

I’ll kee it simple for the Japanese since they struggle to wrap their heads around it.

Marijuana. Is. Not. A. Drug.

At least attempt to keep up Japan.

Everybody is saying how outdated Japan is for this law, but it is only recently that some of the states in the US changed its laws. I am sure there are still a lot of people in prison there for dope offenses. It was legal in Japan until January 1946 when the American GHQ ordered the government to ban it.

Everybody is saying how outdated Japan is for this law

Sadly, the laws in Japan on marijuana are not outdated, but are the norm.

But slowly the world is waking up to how stupid that is..

In the UK news is this one

”Japan grants half a million pardons to mark enthronement of emperor Naruhito

Petty crimes forgiven ahead of ceremony”

Would this one qualify for a pardon?

daxy did you really say meth is not physically addictive? jeesh. where on earth do you live?

Marijuana is a serious crime in Japan and those who break the law must be punished.

Ok Judge Dread!

Japan so far behind the times-as usual...

Any generalization about Japan is a generalization about the Japanese people. Japan does not exist apart from its people. We are not a colony. Generalizations like yours about Japan (the Japanese people) are racist.

Further, as others have pointed out, some Asian countries have drug laws and punishment far more draconian than that of Japan.

Marijuana. Is. Not. A. Drug.

Not sure why you think this - it fits every definition of "drug". I think it should be a legal drug, like alcohol.

Not sure why you think this

Not sure if it was on purpose, but it's a quote from a movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARXHHevvr6Q