crime

Singer ASKA arrested for drug possession

32 Comments

Japanese pop star ASKA was arrested on Saturday for possessing illegal stimulant drugs in his apartment in Tokyo, reports said.

Investigators were probing how ASKA -- who is part of the popular music duo CHAGE and ASKA -- obtained the "small dose" of drugs and whether he had used them, NHK and Tokyo Broadcasting System Television said.

ASKA, 56, whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki, reportedly denied the charges. Before his arrest, he also rejected news reports that he was a drug addict.

CHAGE and ASKA made their musical debut in 1979 and remain hugely popular in Japan and other Asian countries where the duo have toured such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

© (c) 2014 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

32 Comments
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lol again with the "illegal stimulant drugs" when will they ever say, he was using meth, coke, weed, or something.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

And what were the police doing in his apartment?

What I want to know is, did the man ever cause anybody a problem with his drug possession or use?

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Rock and roll!

3 ( +7 / -4 )

lol again with the "illegal stimulant drugs" when will they ever say, he was using meth, coke, weed, or something.

When Japan changes the Stimulants Control Act to include coke and weed? They are covered by different laws than illegal stimulants meth and ecstasy.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What I want to know is, did the man ever cause anybody a problem with his drug possession or use?

He may have caused problems by providing income to drug dealers, and these dealers are good at hurting or killing to protect their market. He caused problems for the police, who have to arrest him, and imprison him. He caused problems for his fans, who love him, and see him as a role model.

You cannot pick and choose which laws you wish to obey, even if you think breaking them doesn't harm anyone. If you want the law changed, then by all means go out and try to change it. But while the law still stands, it should be obeyed.

-4 ( +10 / -14 )

Japan is totally 'cracking' down on everyone now, from government officials to artists. If you smoke weed or dabble in other things, I'd lay low for a while. This guy is a singer, how many non-Japanese artists do you know that are perfectly clean? Japan is way too uptight about this kind of thing.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

I guess instead of "Say Yes!", he should have said "no".

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Chage and Aska. Some great hits back in the day. I hope he's not in it too deep, and gets what help he may need.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The war on drugs was lost along time ago, if the dick heads in charge had of only realised that people will want to use some form of drug in the beginning and left pot as it was then we may have avoided the trillions and trillions of $'s lost trying to enforce dumb laws and locking up harmless people.

But as we know those in power are often not the smartest lot are they now.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Obviously dobbed in by a well meaning friend........

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Prohibition was such a success? But it might take a millennium or two for Japan to form panels and groups to decide on facts rather than scare mongering to drop this pathetic idea that all drugs are bad.

Hang them all, as a deterrent... Has worked very well for murder.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Exactly driftnet!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I wonder how much he had in his possession. I've seen two Japanese news channels (on cable) non-stop (repeatedly show this news story. People should e-mail the T.V networks to complain how they are ignorant and blowing this news out of portion. Kind of like North Korean or Nazis...propaganda. Bring fear into the hearts of the people. Yeah, nice!

2 ( +4 / -2 )

It's very offensive that the posters call into question the integrity of those that protect us from such villainous characters as this individual. The Police arrest anyone in arms reach, convict and pass on to sentencing. They are so good . 99% conviction rate who on earth could doubt their integrity.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

In his home? Did the cops just randomly show up? Sounds like the yak who he was buying it from made a phone call

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Oops, I inadvertently hinted that the current drug laws are at best inappropriate.Still the Law is always right, hang them all degenerate entertainers, management company's always pick the best.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Educator60 my reference was not to meth at all it was to pot, perhaps if pot was not criminalised in the first place many people would not have come into contact with meth and harder drugs nor would they be buying from criminals when they sourced their pot.

Meth is a horrible terrible dirty filthy drug and maybe one of the worst, I would never advocate anyone going near it ever.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Hope he has a good PR crew so he can worm his way out of this.....They belong to my dog Alice, you see she is depressed and needs to get high to get over her problem...No wait, I found them on the side of the road and I was taking them to the nearest station. No, no now I remember, someone planted them on me....No, no, no, now I really remember I have a prescription for them....Why is the white powder in a small bottle with a spoon on it? Hm, never noticed that before.

Drug addicts blame everyone else but themselves. You aren't a product of your environment, your environment is a product of you.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

This isn't the United States where there is a constitutional right to privacy or the EU which is filled with a number of post WWII laws regarding privacy. J-Cops wanna enter your apartment on a flimsy tip they can. Another point is Entertainers in Japan are typically beholden to their Talent Agency. If the Agency wants to continue to work with ASKA then they will provide the PR cover. If they decide to drop him then he's on his own. Without an agency you won't get booked for TV, radio or personal appearances. Your songs won't get any airplay.

Japanese stars make good money (compared to the 80s when the agency housed the stars, paid for everything, but didn't really give them much actual money). However, this guys isn't sitting on the kind of money a US or EU pop star would have.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Educator60, While technically he did have a form of amphetamine, to call it speed would be misleading. That makes it sound like he had ice, meth, shabu, crank, crystal, whatever you prefer to call it.

He actually had ecstasy (MDMA, E, Molly, X, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), which is quite a different drug really.

Like the difference between 3C-Bromo-Dragonfly & 2C-B-Fly. The former can last 2-3 days, whereas the latter last 6-8 hours.

Not complaining, just making the point that, in Japan, when they say stimulant, people often, assume coke or methamphetamine, which just isn't the case.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Complete BS, did the police just bust down the door?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

From what I got from the news, a 37yr old lady friend of his called the cops that he gave her drugs in her apartment. She said it was her 1st time and it looks like it was without her consent.

Hence the cops searched his house.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Can somebody explain why does @sangetsu03 get -3 ? The guy is a criminal. Everybody knows that doing drug is a crime. Do the crime do the time, justice served.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Probably 3G of weed. Of course someone reported him and it surly ain't a wired tab. Police have to follow up every phone call. Even when someone reports an iPhone that could be disguised a potential nuclear bomb.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There are two choices, which one do you want to go? It is up to YOU!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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