entertainment

TBS pulls drama after actor Taishu Kase arrested over drug use

40 Comments

TBS on Monday said it had pulled the drama “Kippari!” after star Taishu Kase, 38, whose real name is Nobuhiro Kawamoto, was arrested on Saturday for illegal use and possession of amphetamines and cannabis at his apartment in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward.

Kase was arrested around 8:30 p.m. after police received a tip that he had drugs in his house. Police found several cannabis plants in his closet, amphetamines on a table, as well as syringes and other drug equipment. Police said that Kase has admitted to the allegations and told them the drugs were for personal use.

In the drama “Kippari!” Kase plays the boyfriend of the main character. The drama still had 20 episodes to go, but TBS said they will not be aired.

Kase debuted in 1990 and became a star also in Taiwan in the late 1990s, appearing in several dramas there.

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40 Comments
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Well, that's the end of him in this country.

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So basically TBS doesn't care about the fans of its shows?

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Talk about an over reaction! If one of the JR staff was caught using drugs would they stop running the trains? Stupidity!

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I wonder who tipped the police off. Some jilted lover? Yes, it is ridiculous that they stop the show. What he does in his private life has nothing to do with the drama. Imagine if they had the same attitude in the West. All the great music that come out of the late 60's and 70's would have been pulled! "We decided to pull all the albums of The Rolling Stones because were arrested for using drugs" quoted a record company exec.

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I think that canceling the show sends the correct message that taking drugs is bad, and that even if you are famous, there are consequences. If I were busted for possession, my boss would almost certainly fire me. That's a better attitude than just shrugging the incident off as no big deal. Personally, I regard all drugs as a scourge.

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Smartacus, don't forget that same boss that would fire you for drug possession would expect you to binge drink with him.

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Good for TBS. The fact that it was his private life is irrelevent. TBS obviously feels they have a responsibility to the public to only employ actors who maintain certain standards. I applaud this move.

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I must be sure to remind my rich Auntie not to bring her asthma medication. I wonder if that stuff even works?

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Yes, Japan. Drugs are bad, but drinking huge amounts of alcohol every night is good.

Moderator: Stay on topic please. Alcohol is of course irrelevant to this discussion.

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A couple of points...

I wonder the nature of the tip off to the police.

Im sure he will be plenty demonized by the media and public. But, it would be nice to see this bring some awareness to addiction. I have never seen so many alcoholics and gambling addicts (pachinko) in one place. Im sure some of them are looking for a way out but dont know how to go about finding it.

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Gyoza, rice, chocolate out of his diet drove him to drugs? Melamine free, or is it, free melamine? Ya still gotta pay though. Either way huh.

How much will the lost episodes of "Kippari" be worth?

The best part of this news is if he needed attention he might get what he needs.

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I wonder the nature of the tip off to the police.

Probably neighors who smelled something, or a super who wandered in without permission to install something.

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He was probably FINKED upon by his "friends" I wonder what made TBS so particular all of a sudden?

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The conservatism of the Japanese media is sometimes quite shocking.

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20 episodes shelved just because the guy was smoking some pot in private in his spare time?

What an overreaction.

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I feel sorry for everyone else who worked hard on the production of the dorama.

It's sad that one stupid actor ruined it for everyone who worked on the dorama and all the fans.

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smartacus - "If I were busted for possession, my boss would almost certainly fire me". I would expect the same treatment, but I wouldn't expect the entire workload that I had been working on and had finished along with others to be just scrapped because of me being stupid.

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was he the only one who starred on this show? how do his co-stars figure into this? also, are the 20 episodes finished? what a waste. anyway, it wasn't just pot. judging by the paraphenalia on display last night on tv it looks like he was also doing heroin and possibly crack. he obviously should have been a little more discreet. hope he gets the help he needs.

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I think the drama should go ahead. He will pay his price in jail etc.

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I am curious about the tip off too, it seems very suspicious. I also am curious about the level of illegal drug use in Japan amongst celebrities. I assume it is like anywhere else, but these types of cases are relatively rare.

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How long will they keep them off the air? Somebody spent some big yen to make them and I doubt it they are willing to eat it just because this guy got caught (and they didn't.)

Kadokawa of Kadokawa books got busted with cocaine and the bookstores ripped his books off the shelves. (He wasn't the writer, just the publisher) but I bet you can find a Kadokawa published book in the stores now.

And I don't think Kase was doing heroin. Maybe just too many speed hits.

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It is sad that drug use (and abuse) seems so common nowadays that we tend to trivialize it, lately, scandals of drugs and alcohol by lindsay lohan, amy winterhouse (i don't recall her name well) make us think that using drugs and alcohol is "normal". Well It is not, I feel sorry for the guy that is using drugs, but I consider a good policy to cancel the show, traditionalist and "conservative" and old-fashioned as it may seems, we have to punish the use of drugs, not encourage it. Even if it hurts his admirers. The guy should go into rehab.

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He will end up in jail for this. Hardly mere possession if he was growing it in his closet.

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Why pull a show because of one actor's shenanigans? If they did that in the U.S. we'd have no TV.

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Did the police ever received "a tip" on any politician? Evidently, you don't need to be on drugs to say or do stupid...

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If it was already in the can they should have shown it. The ratings would have spiked. The US does this too however, instead of killing the show they generally boot the offending actors. Not so much because of a moral issue, but the insurance company underwriting the show usually demands it.

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. is a prime example of getting booted from productions after drug/DUI busts.

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everybody hates a snitch. i bet he knows exactly who let the cat out of the bag. i must say though, what an idiot. why would you be growing in your house if you're a famous person??? they're gonna throw the book at this schmuck and i'm no mormon but, i think he deserves it.

speaking of idiots, talk about a lost opportunity by TBS. how dumb and ignorant could they be??? I mean really, is every japanese actor, musician, tv/movie star so pure as to assume they have not done drugs, or are doing them now. nothing like a scandal to boost ratings. TBS, who's running the show over there, you bloody idiots!

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TeruSensei- "dorama", i think i'm turning Japanese i really think so. heh heh.

So what if he had a bit of drugs. They were for personal use.

These kind of offences are a waste of time, send the to drug rehab like tehy do in "developed" ntions.

Third world punishments and criiminal justice system.

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Seems there are a lot of snitches and untrustworthy people over here that you have to deal with

That's because everyone over here is a conformist

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thepro - I think you are confusing the word conformist wit either; nark, snitch or grass.

There is no guilt about snitching in Japan. Two faced people evrywhere. Don't ever confide to a Japanese to anything you have done that is out of the norm. They usually tell everyone, they love gossip, and hanging round in groups.

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This guys face is on several posters in Tokyo. Let him become the poster boy for the Sumo Federation.

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So what if he had a bit of drugs. They were for personal use.

These kind of offences are a waste of time, send the to drug rehab like tehy do in "developed" ntions.

Don't know about other Developed nations but atleast in Canada and the US you can end up going to Jail for growing drugs in your house. If it was solely personal use then he should be fined and setenced to rehab, or maybe he had glaucoma and it was for medical purposes.

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I agree with MrDickMorris, japanese are well known as snitches. There is no stigma about telling , no fear fo being known as a nark.

Japan, land of honor? Obviously an associate turned him into the cops, probably for something petty.

Many Japanese have a strong wish to gain revenge if someoen upsets them, emotions are too repressed within society.

F&B

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What actors and entertainers haven't used drugs in any country on earth? If the guy has a problem as opposed to being a recreational user than he should do rehab. Cancelling his show just shows the lack of maturity and repression that reigns in Japan.

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One more just for good measure. Steve McQueen who is widely regarded as one of America's finest actors used to smoke joints like cigarettes. Did that diminish his talent, were the studios going to pull the plug on his movies? I think not, grow up Japan.

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everybody hates a snitch

Not everyone

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after police received a tip that he had drugs in his house

hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...

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Hughgarse - No doubt it was a woman!

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