Japanese Starlet Sakai Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges November 6
Noriko Sakai a pop star turned actress is facing an 18 month jail term for drug possession and use but could be sentenced to as many as 10 years in prison for the offense. She’s plead guilty to the charges stemming from an incident where the star was caught by police with about .008 of a gram of methamphetamines. Known for her wholesome pop star image the star is now dealing with a great deal of media and public attention for her drug use. Over 6,000 people showed up to attempt to get one of the twenty gallery seats available in the first days of the trial at the Tokyo District Court.
The incident began with her husband being apprehended for inhalation and passion of the drug in a men’s room stall. During his arrest the actress refused to allow search of her purse and a drug test at the scene. Initially the media portrayed her as the misfortunate wife of a drug user but quickly turned aggressive when it came out (when police found the drugs in her home) that she was also a user. The actress, who’d gone missing for a time after her husband’s arrest, later turned herself in to the authorities.
The actress blamed her husband for her beginning use 4 years ago and has made a point of saying she want to get off the drugs and divorce her husband before going on with her life.
Tags: drug use, japan, pop star, sakai, subsntace abuse