crime

Popular singer Makihara arrested over alleged drug possession

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Blah blah blah suspended sentence stop wasting our time

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Blah blah blah suspended sentence stop wasting our time

Actually, as this is not a first offense, it's not a given that he will get a suspended sentence. In Japan, first time drug offenders get a suspended sentence unless there are extenuating circumstances. Second offenses however do not have nearly the same rate of suspended sentences.

So no, not necessarily a suspended sentence.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

0.083g is equivalent to one small line. And, a bottle of rush? Seriously? He should have just bought a pack of marker pens at the ¥100 store for his 'Rush'. I'm curious to know how they found such a really small amount. He must have been dobbed in by a friend/fiend.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Do the old bill stalk famous people here to name and shame them in an effort to scare the general population into compliance.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

64.2 millimeter of the liquid inhalant "Rush," 

I didn't know poppers were illegal in Japan.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Suspended sentence ?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Do the police in Japan need search warrants based on probable cause? Or is it okay for the police to search your home for illegal drugs based on an ‘anonymous’ tip?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I can picture all the police agents with magnifying glasses looking for tiny substances all over the room.

The police has nothing to do. And that's getting ridiculous.

I would scout the agents down, and ask them to do some real work.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Suspended sentence ?

Possible. With second-offenses, it can go either way. If it was a first offense, he'd almost definitely get a suspended sentence.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Do the police in Japan need search warrants based on probable cause?

Yes

Or is it okay for the police to search your home for illegal drugs based on an ‘anonymous’ tip?

I'm not sure that these are opposing. It may be that even though you used 'or', both questions can be answered with yes. I'm not sure if anonymous tips count as probable cause in Japan.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The police has nothing to do. And that's getting ridiculous.

Yes, in fact there are now 15,000 more police in Japan than a decade ago, despite the falling population and very low crime rate. The number of police in Tokyo is very high. Why is that?

Even though they have almost nothing to do, the numbers have increased. What could be the reason for this?

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/japan-s-crime-problem-too-many-police-not-enough-criminals-1.3451997

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I didn't know poppers were illegal in Japan.

Well, now you know.

Do the police in Japan need search warrants based on probable cause?

Yes.

Or is it okay for the police to search your home for illegal drugs based on an ‘anonymous’ tip?

Only if a warrant is issued.

I would think, or at least hope, that any half-decent judge would tell the police, "No, I'm not issuing a warrant just because someone called you and said, 'Hey, this guy Taro has drugs in his house.' Not reliable enough."

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Once again - who are the victims of his heinous crime?

Did he in a "drugged craze" harm, offend, attack or even disturb anyone?

As a member of society has he done any good? Has he contributed to making society a nicer place through his career as a singer songwriter?

Has he brought any joy and comfort to people?

Or has he been a villian - a corrupter of morals, a pestilence?

Law enforcement thinks so.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

NHK news said that when arrested, Makihara was with an "acquaintance" (知り合い) in his condo. Makihara is gay, like Gokai, so why don't they say "lover" or at least "partner"? We all know who the guy is. And I really hope Makihara gets his act together and writes more great songs.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Poppers are a gay thing. I suspected he was gay when I heard about the poppers.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Poppers are a gay thing.

Not exclusively. Anyhow, those drugs amount are ridiculous, I am pretty sure they can find more traces of stimulant in Yen notes than at this guy's place.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Oh no! This is a Diaster. How?, Why? would a 50yo man think his life choices that hurt no body are subject to criminal charges? As my wife said the LDP always arrest a "Talento" so the public are focussed on the Talento rather than governance. He did not hurt anyone, did not steal anything. At his age should be legal to take anything the hell he wants. His body not the governments.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Seriously? He should have just bought a pack of marker pens at the ¥100 store for his 'Rush'. 

It could be any of us.

If you drop some super-glue on the floor, you can make the front news.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Actually, as this is not a first offense, it's not a given that he will get a suspended sentence. In Japan, first time drug offenders get a suspended sentence unless there are extenuating circumstances. Second offenses however do not have nearly the same rate of suspended sentences.

I wonder if this holds true for famous people.

In the US an anonymous tip cannot create probable cause without corroborating evidence or the tipster is known to authorities and has proven credibility. It prevents the US from becoming a country full of informants.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Fail! The drugs were probably what gave him the inspiration for those hit songs in the first place.

No harm (other then perhaps some self-harm) in having people use a bit of self medication. Certainly no worse than the copious amounts of alcohol that are consumed in this country.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

What I read in this article is :

A. He's a celebrity

B. He committed a crime (narcotics)

C. He's a repeat offender

D. He spent no time in jail for perhaps the same crime before.

E. Nothing will come of this because of example A.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Who really cares about what he does in his own privacy? Aren't there many more pressing and important things that the police should be doing out there?

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Apparently poppers were made illegal in 2007.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What it means is that all TV sponsors, advertisers etc. who use his music will pull all commercials with his music from airing. How sad!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Makihara, 50, is suspected of keeping 0.083 gram of stimulant on April 11, 2018, and 64.2 millimeter of the liquid inhalant "Rush," an eponym for isobutyl nitrite,

Here we go again. Another totally ridiculous "crime". Do the cops have nothing better to do? And what moron judge issued to warrrant?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Moron judge? It's kind of a job description for Japanese judges.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

LeoToday 09:57 am JST

Poppers are a gay thing. I suspected he was gay when I heard about the poppers.

No they aren't. Everybody knew he was gay 20 years ago.

By all accounts the amount of "kakuseizai" being seized by japanese police and customs has increased dramatically in recent years yet there is no serious investigative journalism about where it comes from, who makes it and who profits from it. Is that because it's made in North Korea and imported into Japan by the yakuza?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Time to distract the media and general public from the grilling of dear leader on

the "Sakura wo miru kai" scandal, using their usual tactics of feeding the general

public through their mouthpiece media with drips of info.

This guy was arrested for something that happened 2 years ago, 2 years ago his acquaintance

that he lived with was arrested for possession of drug and when he was questioned he responded

that it belonged to Makihara, strange that Makihara wasn't called in for questioning, arrested or tested

two years ago eventhough the busted aquaintance named Makihara as the owner.

The flimsy reason they are giving for arresting him now and not 2 years ago is that Makihara wasn't around when they were arresting his acquaintance. If he wasn't around at the time of the arrest he hasn't been away for 2 years. These guys are really taking the general public to be dumb.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

A. He's a celebrity & handpicked to be thrown under the bus

B. The LDP Sakura Scandal is still going strong.

C. The public needs a distraction from the many LDP scandals

D. CoronaVirus news is good disctraction but bad for business.

E. In 2 week the LDP rates will go up again, and no one remembers Makihara

4 ( +4 / -0 )

 is suspected of keeping 0.083 gram of stimulant on April 11, 2018

He had drugs 2 years ago, 2 years ago!

Now what?! What good is gonna come out after this arrest?

Only blame for how slow is the justice done.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

now..... I wonder what stimulant and isobutyl nitrite do.

Whom it was used with and what for.......?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

By all accounts the amount of "kakuseizai" being seized by japanese police and customs has increased dramatically in recent years yet there is no serious investigative journalism about where it comes from, who makes it and who profits from it. Is that because it's made in North Korea and imported into Japan by the yakuza?

Probably forgot to take it out of his pockets when coming back from abroad

0 ( +0 / -0 )

D. He spent no time in jail for perhaps the same crime before.

Well yeah, he got a suspended sentence. Were there extenuating circumstances for which he should have been given jail time?

E. Nothing will come of this because of example A.

Once again people on this site making this claim entirely is unjustified. Just people repeating lies as if they were truth.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

覚醒剤所持容疑

逮捕直後、マッキーが容疑を否認…

> 『僕の物じゃないです…』

Makihara is saying:

"It's not mine"

What a drama! ...to be continued

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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