crime

Former baseball star Kiyohara arrested over drug possession

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And all the other celebrities are remarking about how surprised they are. Please...

8 ( +11 / -3 )

I question once again...WHo Ratted him out?

Seems like a Japanese national pasttime. Finding dirt on your neighbors and making life hell for them..

Must be a cultural thing to humiliate someone for profit or ego gain. Be careful folks. Do not smoke anything legal with a Japanese national, as you will be ratted on.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

0.1g is like NOTHING this is just diversion news to keep the masses busy talking rubbish and not thinking about the many real problem.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

I feel that there is over coverage on celebrity affairs in Japan. There a multitude of problems that will affect Japan in the coming years that the media could place their energy into but, as @glasshouse has stated, media giants aren't interested in things that 1. Don't sell and 2. People already know about but the feeling of ”しょうがない” ("nothing can be done") is too strong to even make a difference. Why blast people with information that will make life seem even more grim, when you can brain drain the masses with useless info about celebrities minor infractions and how many acronyms can be made to explain ones recent marriage.

I do watch TV here in Japan (Before the backlash) but I find it repetitive at times and boring. I liked seeing Kiyohara on different variety shows and understand that his image will be smeared after this, but I personally could care less. Robert Downy Jr returned from a serious drug addiction and became Iron man. So everyone should give support rather than saying negative things like "やっぱり。。。" (Of course he is) or "そうだと思った!” (I thought he was on drugs). Celebrities are humans too and are capable of making mistakes.

GOOD LUCK KIYOHARA!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Well no surprise here, considering his "known associates."

5 ( +7 / -2 )

0.1 gram is just the left overs in a pipe. The Japanese have been using meth since Akira Ogata first synthesized it in 1919. This is a good article on meth. http://score.addicaid.com/japan-land-of-the-rising-meth.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@Oh,Pie!As as long term expat I can tell you its not how life is here its what you make it just like any other Country on the Planet.Yes the media will report on anything that will sell and this kind of story sells.He was one the best players baseball has seen.If a famous person in your country has some sort of scandal what its not on the news I don't think so.Or is this just your opportunity to do a bit of Japan bashing.All the other news North Korea,ISIS,Zika is being covered here all the time but its just that you probably only watch this site to get your view of Japan.Good effort on stereo typing though.

3 ( +10 / -7 )

As usual,the police love cherry picking arrests.

how are the police cherry picking arrests? you obviously understand that the japanese police arrest thousands of people on drug charges every year, right?

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Actually it was even earlier than 1919. Akira Ogata synthezised methamphetamine hydrochloride otherwise know as desoxyn and perscribed to children and adults for hyperactivity disorder. Methamphetamine was first synthesized in 1893 by Nagai Nagayoshi and used by the Japanese military and public alike, sold under the brand name Philopon. I first came across it in 1994 in Prague sold as pervatine.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Interesting to compare him with Koji Akiyama, who came up about the same time with him in the 80s with Seibu and was his superstar equal on that team. They both had similar careers that put them in the category of all time greats. After retiring, Akiyama went on to a massively succesful managerial career with the Hawks, while Kiyohara basically just did drugs and appeared on talk shows.

I`m a huge Akiyama fan, but not so much enamored with Kiyohara.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

seems he has been on a slippery slope for a while.Maybe not handling the retirement too well.He is bankrupt,divorced and contemplated suicide but watching his sons playing soccer stopped him.maybe a bit of sympathy to his plight.Just sad to see but plenty of examples in ex spots stars

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Do not do drugs in Japan. YouTube the penal system here. Not pleasant. It certainly scared me straight. Alcohol may be a poor alternative but I have never liked marching and at the of the day, you just do what you have to do.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

People taking drugs and having affairs is what counts as news in Japan? Does its media and citizens have nothing better to do than to gossip about other people's business? Aren't there more important things to worry about, like, I dunno, North Korea, Zika, dirty politicians, China, North Korea, and ISIS? (Did I forget to mention North Korea?) I don't blame this guy one bit for using drugs, I would too if this is how it is there. A society like this breeds unhappiness, and that unhappiness takes its toll on the population every year. Report on that. Not if some girl had sex with a married guy or if some ex athlete took LSD. But I guess that's how it is when everyone works 80 hours a week and don't do the hanky panky in the sack.

0 ( +16 / -16 )

Kiyohara will just get a slap on the wrist at the end of the day and revert to hanging out with his "associates"

0 ( +1 / -1 )

0.1 gram? What's the point? Oh, I mean, how much is that? Because I have no idea.

0.0001kg (!) quantity is irrelevant and so is this crime, Media hype for few days and then...the judgement: suspended sentence..!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I meant to type illegal.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Who implicated him? How were the the police able to obtain a warrant?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How did they "find" such a minuscule amount. More like who wanted to rat him out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

how are they going to test that amount the evidence will be used up with the testing. LOL

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Such a shame. I remember Kiyohara and his teammate Kuwata (Masumi) from the HS days in Osaka. Oh well, . . .

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This guy needs help. He's been crying out for help for the last few years. After hearing about his blog post, it's obvious.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

So, if I dislike someone I can go to the J cops and say they have a stash in their house and the police will go and search the place without any further evidence? Frightening.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So, if I dislike someone I can go to the J cops and say they have a stash in their house and the police will go and search the place without any further evidence? Frightening.

Don't let it frighten you too much. Apparently the police had been following him for a while and had been monitoring him and checking his trash. So it's not like they went in without having first checked on it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One tenth of one gram???? Lock him up, and throw away the key!!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

edojin: perhaps it is better that the police step in and try to take control of his life.

That statement sounds wrong for so many reasons. The government or people who know better should take over a person's free will???

edojin: I still remember the days when Japan was a drug-free country.

This statement is also pretty shocking. Goes along with: I remember when there were only Japanese in Japan.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

0.1 gram? What's the point? Oh, I mean, how much is that?

Enough to be arrested for drug possession. Japan has absolutely zero tolerance for drugs, and I agree with this policy. It is better to arrest and punish drug violators quickly and mercilessly than let drug abuse evolve into a serious national problem. Japan has enough social problems already without adding drug abuse to the list.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hopefully this arrest will rescue him. He is a total hero, so he must be rescued, The number one player of his generation.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

(Please don't ask how I know the following information!)

If the drug which Kiyohara was arrested for was an inhalant form of power "stimulant," then a tenth of a gram (or 0.1) would equal at least one or two significant "lines" of the drug. It's not much, but it certainly isn't "NOTHING," either. Try getting pulled over in Montana or west Texas with a couple of lines of stimulant on your person...tell the nice police officer, "What...this? This is NOTHING!" (Good luck with that! Ha-ha.)

Then, think about how differently Japanese authorities (and people in general) feel about recreational use of illegal substances, and you'll start to see how people could very well find this to be a rather big deal (especially when the perp is a former role model aka sports athlete.)

I bet Kiyohara was under the influence of the drug when they intercepted him...then after a search of his apartment, found the "remainder" 0.1 gram there. Nolo contendere (one "no contest" plea, coming right up!)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

from the news last night it said they had been following for a YEAR!!! I wonder how much that cost in tax money...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Bye-bye one of our super star...

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

as was posted several years ago by our American expats, first Hollywood and the media introduce hip hop next comes the drugs next will be the rise in crime.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Actually, no surprise here. It has been reported in magazines that Kiyohara was using drugs. And about half a year ago some comedians from Osaka did a serious TV interview with Kiyohara in which they asked him point-blank if he were using drugs ... and he said no.

From what news reports are saying, Kiyohara is a heavy user of drugs. So ... if this is true, perhaps it is better that the police step in and try to take control of his life. If he keeps doing this sort of thing ... somewhere down the road he might OD and end up dead.

Also, the police should try to find out what his source is ... the person(s) who sell this stuff to him. And they should go after this source in a big way. But no matter what, they won't wipe out the marketing of illegal drugs here in Japan. The drug underworld here is spread all over the place, and from what I hear, drugs can be secured anywhere.

I still remember the days when Japan was a drug-free country. Then the outside big boys looked in on Japan and saw a lot of money here ... thus their entry into Japan and the build-up of the underworld drug business. Yeah ... oh well ... actually nothing new here either ...

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Serves him right to be arrested for suspicion of possessing stimulant drug, considering his personality! It's time that he should cool off for his thoughtlessness. He must consider feelings of his children and wife! I've had enough of hearing of what he'd said: as if saying that hard woring or doing effors isn't sense. Talent!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

The way they continually show him in the news, moving in slow motion, he is clearly bad, bad, bad...

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

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