Ex-sumo wrestler Wakanoho says he bought cannabis at Roppongi disco

Saturday night fever is still alive in Japan, apparently.

I think the lifetime ban is too harsh.

He smoked some marijuana, he wasn't selling it as a sideline business. He wasn't getting little kids addicted to crack. Some perspective is in order, I think.

0.368 grams? almost a meaninglessly small amount. Yep, he shouldn't have done it, but come on...

Given that he's almost certainly going to be deported, I don't think he should worry too much about his life ban.

To the people that think he got treated harshly.

He has history of bad behaviour/conduct in Sumo including destroying property, in addition he smoked(admitted by himself) a banned substance on his employers property.

How many employers will just shrug their shoulders and say "have a slap on the wrist".

I also think that the Sumo elders re to be blamed too for not teaching/educating him properly.

He has history of bad behaviour/conduct in Sumo including destroying property, in addition he smoked(admitted by himself) a banned substance on his employers property.

Well, maybe if he smoked more of that substance he wouldn't have trashed the stuff in the first place. Don't you know that cannabis is the best nerve calmer out there?

I do want him to shut up about Roppongi, which is in enough crap already. I don't want cops raiding the clubs and ruining my weekends again.

If hes acted immaturely in the past was he disciplined for it? He broke the law with the pot and based on sumo rules/regulations will have to accept the ruling. Fret about it until the sun doesnt shine, nothing will change even if this punishment is excessive. Fret about it even more because he is not Japanese. But wow! what about all these other sumo bimbos breaking the law and they re getting away with it? Another corrupt situation floating around Japan. But worst of all is that the public say absolutely nothing in regards to the corruption unless it is a non Japanese individual. Then it gets flashed all over the TV. Cowardly!

Yes, he was punished. Not sure if you can call placing sneak/illegal shots during bouts immature. ;)

As much as his story sounds likely I'm sure it's not the truth. It's just a believable lie to get the cops off the trail of the real suppliers. Note to self - Don't leave ya dope in ya wallet, dope! I heard a similar story in Oz a few years ago of a guy that had been using his licence to cut up certain white powders. The licence was laminated paper and the substance had slipped between the joins in the laminate. He was stopped for speeding, the cop checked his licence, noticed the traces of powder and hauled him of to Her Majesty's hotel. I've been telling people for years that you have to be stupid to use drugs. Here is the proof!

I don`t know his life story so immature is a well rounded word without being incredibly specific.

told police on Tuesday that he had bought the drug and pipes for 20,000 yen from two African and Russian men at a disco in Roppongi

Excuse my French, but this smells of BS. Since when were senior Sumo wrestlers allowed to go out disco dancing in Roppongi ? He would have been all over the gossip papers the following day. And who has ever heard of Russian guys selling little bits of weed in Tokyo ? The African guys maybe. And the word Roppongi is always very handy for the cops. Total BS and the cops are trying to sell some moral story about going to Roppongi and gaijin in Tokyo.

Oh noes! he did marijuana! omg!111 death penalty

Japan still clasifies Marry Jane as a class A drug.. A joke!!! That`s why they went nuts over it.. He may as well have been doing Cloumbian karate for all they care...

0.368 grams...? How did they know anything was in there? Did they smoke it first?

Drugs in Roppongi? Uh never....

He should've said that the drugs were planted in his wallet.

northlondon, is selling weed NOT what RUSSIAN will do in Roppongi, then..smarty pant, enlighten us with your wisdom on WHAT criminal activities the russian would do?. What you KNOW about Africans???

Is that what that stuff is in Roppongi, I thought it was clove cigarettes.

He should have just said he saw some airport customs staff around his stuff. They probably planted it there as one of their tests ;)

northlondon, is selling weed NOT what RUSSIAN will do in Roppongi, then..smarty pant, enlighten us with your wisdom on WHAT criminal activities the russian would do?. What you KNOW about Africans???

I have plenty of African and Russian friends both here and back home. I also have plenty of African mates who work in the Roppongi clubs too. Having lived in Tokyo for almost 10 years (and spent a lot of that time in Roppo), I'm just telling it how it is pal. Anyone who spends a length of time in Roppo will say exactly the same. By the way, my post doubted this police story. I believe I described the story as BS and an excuse to finger the blame on Africans and Russians in Roppongi. And I'm not really sure what you are getting upset about ?

Always blame the foreigners before the locals seems to be a common thread for most stories. Drug usage is a problem in any country and will be for a long time. I am not condoning its use, but people will get caught and will be prosecuted. Those that haven't been caught are on borrowed time. Japanese, Americans, Russians, it doesn't matter.

Alcohol use and driving are illegal, people get caught all the time. The headlines will hit only those that are high profile.

Getting back to the thread, you gotta wonder what the fine will be for Wakanoho before he gets deported?

I'm tired to read foreigners are the ones selling and buying the dope in Japan. This is an invention. In Osaka, you can go to Namba every night, you'll see 99,99999% of the pimps, drug dealers and other yakuza have Japanese faces, Japanese looks and probably are Japanese,if not they are zainichi whose families have been here for 100 years. If a white or black guy came as a competitor, they would notice him imediatly, they'd probably shoot him. Idem for customers, they are all Japanese (or hardly foreigner), in places were they do illegal stuff, they don't let you in with a gaijin face, they say it's a "private snack". I'm not saying all foreigners are honest, but like NorthLondon, I know they wouldn't be allowed to take yakuza's markets in Roppongi or any such place.

Cos.

You would be surprised how many different mafia organisations from X countries operate and compete in Tokyo(not so sure about other areas) but I think the chinese and koreans have their fair share too).

Kabuki-cho in Shinjuku you can see them all.

I personally know 3 guys that are affiliated with the pakistani, turkish and Nigerian groups here.

It's hypocritical because they all sell for the Japanese gangsters. End of story. Absolutely nobody can sell in Japan without paying rent or a commission to the yakuza. The only ones who seem to have a little freedom are the Koreans in Kabukicho and the Chinese in Ueno, but even they will have a business deal with the local mob. Basically if you see Iranians or Africans or Russians selling drugs then they are working a patch for Japanese bosses and taking the risk on the street that the local mob don't want to do.

Cos.

Not sure how long you been in japan, but I remember a time when you could buy "Magic Mushhrooms" from street-vendors legally in Shibuya, etc. The guys had their little tables setup and their were packs of Mushhrooms on them amongst the merchandise. Quiet a few of those Vendors were caucasians, etc.

They are outlawed now though.

TheNewZen, they would sell mushrooms legally in kampo shops in Kansai, which was not shocking as in my country herborists would also sell them in the past. Before idiots became addicted to it and poisoned themselves, there was no reason to oulaw those mushrooms in any country. In Japan kampo shops are still selling tons of disgusting stuff that should be illegal (that are illegal according international laws Japan doesn't care about, like protection of wild species). In many years, I have never seen a gaijin running a kampo shop (I visited many because my drug is liquorice sticks). Well I have not applied for the job. I guess they'd tell me I'm not good enough at reading Chinese characters. You are going to tell me you have seen the 2 gaijin that also did it -before being told to go away, or maybe they were shooting a movie or a fake documentary. Inside a shop, might be, or guys pushing you into a dark backstreet, that's possible, but the yatais directly selling weird stuff, no I don't believe it. I sometimes sell at a yatai, and I really need to be allowed at multiple levels to do it (in addition of paying the rent), even in my neighbourhood. Individually, as a foreigner, they'd never allow me, I can because I'm part of an association. In Shibuya, there are no free yatai. I'm sure of that. Anyway, that still lets 10 000 kampo shop owners being Japanese or zainichi Chinese. So it's really a bias when the media only show the foreign ones. And the Japanese media really sucks because they all said the magic mushroom problem was a gaijin one.

"the chinese and koreans have their fair share too"

Yes, zainichi that are as Japanese as the Tenno. The only foreigners you see around them are the slaves they sell for prostitution or for serving them. They are more victims than criminals. And as you know, the sumo teams are also sponsorised by yakuza groups, just like horse races or other sports you can bet money on. If they need, they can directly deliver the dope at the suma stable, they certainly kept the double of the keys. But, they can also ask Japanese custom agents to do it.

I can imagine the kid didn't need anyone to try smoking pot, but not that way. In this case, he was obviously trapped by someone that wanted to get rid of him. Now he lets the cop write his declaration for him. Anyway he cannot fight, the quicker he signs what they want, the quicker he gets out of Japanese hell.

Cos.

I can't PM you here otherwise I would happily shoot you some pictures I took personally 11yrs ago in Shibuya.

There was a big discussion on the Net too when the magic mushrooms sales were outlawed shortly after.

Forgot I also am a Member of the Guardian Angels here and we patrol those areas.

Canabis is really still a big deal here huh?

Haha - the biggest pot heads at my uni in NZ were Japanese students. Its not like they would just kick the habit after going back home. Still surprised this is such big news though

This poor, dumb guy keeps digging his hole deeper and deeper.

I was caught with a small piece of hash in a park years ago. They naturally wanted to know who I bought it from.

I instinctively told the cops "I bought if from a black guy". (even though I had bought it from a very white friend).

Blaming another race is almost an instinct. People feel it might evoke sympathy. Like it makes us the victim of the evil influence of a "crime-riddled" race.

Cops said, "It's that black guy again, he's everywhere", and let me go with a stern warning.

This reminds me of the 'huge' Nova bust that happened just before I came to Japan. They arrested 7 or so Nova teachers for pot, but never bothered to investigate the Japanese guys who sold them the stuff. Its like once the trail loses its gaijinness, the police just don't care. Where did the 'Russians and Nigerians' get the pot?

This story wouldn't be one if it were a Japanese rikishi. Makes one wonder how many J-Rikishi do Mary Jane or worse drugs?