The two recent celebrity drug scandals will each be going to trial next month. Actor Manabu Oshio will appear in court on October 23, while Noriko Sakai's husband Yuichi Takaso will precede him on October 21.
In the upcoming trial, Oshio (who was released on bail on August 31) is being charged with the use of the illegal substance MDMA on the night of August 2. Police are still continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the woman he was with that night, and he may face trial again later on.
Takaso, on the other hand, is being tried for possession and use of illegal stimulants. Sakai has so far been indicted for possession, though her own trial date has not been set yet. She will likely be indicted for use of the drugs later this month.
It has been indicated that Takaso and Sakai may find themselves on opposite sides in court, due to their testimonies regarding each others' drug use. In addition to this criminal case, it is predicted that they will eventually face off in civil court as well, to settle their likely divorce and battle over the custody of their child.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Trial dates scheduled for Oshio, Takaso
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Noriko Sakai dismissed by Sun Music after indictment
As expected, Noriko Sakai's drug scandal has dealt a big blow to her career. In the past several days, Sakai has been formally indicted, dismissed from her agency, and dropped by her record label.
On August 28, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Sakai for possession of illegal stimulants. She is expected to be additionally charged with use of illegal stimulants.
After her indictment was made public, Sun Music president Masahisa Aizawa held an emergency press conference to announce the agency's dismissal of Sakai. It was also revealed that her record label, Victor Entertainment, officially terminated all of her CD and DVD contracts. The label had already canceled her upcoming best album and pulled her entire catalog from store shelves.
Over the weekend, Sun Music stated that it will take financial responsibility for the broken contracts caused by the scandal, which appears to be an estimated total of 500 million yen. This includes the contracts with Victor Entertainment, commercial contracts with Arax and Toyota, and merchandise contracts related to Sakai's fashion brand "PP rikorino."
Sakai admitted last week that after the arrest of her husband, Yuichi Takaso, she had tried to hide away until the drugs were no longer detectable by a urine test. Police also note that she took further actions to cover up her drug use, such as cutting and dyeing her hair.
The singer said that she had previously thought of quitting, but found herself addicted and unable to stop using the drugs. She explained that she had started 3-4 years ago, finding that it helped her overcome her fatigue from work, but her usage gradually increased over time.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Noriko Sakai suspected of destroying evidence
New information is constantly being released in the ongoing Noriko Sakai investigation. Some of the details from the past few days suggest that Sakai may have intentionally tried to hide or destroy evidence regarding her drug use before she turned herself in earlier this month.
A sample of Sakai's hair was recently sent for drug analysis. Police confirmed that it tested positive, though the results were still weak. But it was also revealed that before her arrest, Sakai had her hair cut, reducing the ability of the analysis to accurately determine her drug history. In addition, Sakai dyed her hair, which could have weakened the results by making the drugs more difficult to detect. Sakai has stated that she only began using the drugs last summer, but her husband Yuichi Takaso has said that they started about four years ago.
Police are also still looking for her missing cell phone, which Sakai claims she threw away because it was damaged and unusable. It is believed that the data on her phone, if recovered, will help identify the sources of the drugs.
Meanwhile, Takaso's latest testimony says that the last time he and Sakai used the drugs together was ten days before his arrest on August 3. They and their son had taken a trip to Amami Oshima in the Kagoshima prefecture between July 20 and 30 to observe the solar eclipse. According to Takaso, he had taken some drugs and straws along during the trip.
Takaso has already been formally indicted for drug possession, and is now facing a second charge after the discovery of additional drugs (97 milligrams) at a house in Chiba that belonged to him. It is still not clear whether Sakai will be indicted for the 8 milligrams found in her home, but police may be able to charge her with joint possession of the drugs found at the Chiba house.
