Noriko Sakai - Drug Scandal

Drug Scandal

On August 2, 2009, Sakai's husband, Yūichi Takasō allegedly inhaled a small amount of stimulant drugs in a public lavatory, at a park in Tokyo's Minato Ward. The next day, Takasō's car, parked on a street in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, was searched. In the car, 0.817 grams of stimulant drugs were found. On August 4, 2009, Takasō was stopped by Tokyo Metropolitan Police while walking in public in Shibuya. When Takasō was subjected to a body search, stimulant drugs were reportedly found in his underwear. Takasō was immediately placed under arrest. Sakai was summoned to the scene of the arrest. She was asked to go to the police station for further questions and to submit to a urine test. Instead, she told the police she had to pick her 10-year old son up, and that she would go to the police station later that day. Sakai later disappeared with her son.

While Takasō was being questioned at the police department, he reportedly told the police he and Sakai were involved in drugs. As early as ten days prior to his arrest, the two of them used drugs while on a family trip to Amami Ōshima in Kagoshima Prefecture. At the time of Takasō's arrest, Sakai was living in her own apartment in Tokyo. While Sakai was away, the police searched Sakai's home, and reportedly found 0.008 grams of stimulant drugs, carefully wrapped in aluminum foil. An inhaler among the drugs was discovered to have Sakai's DNA. As a result, a warrant was issued for her arrest. On August 5, 2009, Sakai dropped her son off with an unnamed friend, purchased some underwear and other necessities from a store, and then disappeared.

Attempting to track Sakai down by cell phone, the police reported that her cell phone lost signal within the area of Yamanashi Prefecture, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of Tokyo. Sakai later claimed that the cell phone was damaged, and that she threw the phone away. Police believe that the cell phone may contain information leading to the source of the stimulant drugs.

On August 7, 2009, Sakai turned herself in to the authorities, and then was placed under arrest. The official charge against Sakai is "suspicion of possessing stimulant drugs," according to a Tokyo police official. She admitted to the drugs being in her apartment, but did not admit to taking the drugs herself. She also said she kept the drugs in foil "to use them later."

On August 17, 2009, a beach house in Katsuura, Chiba was also searched. A frequent location for both Sakai and Takasō the past five years, 0.097 grams of amphetamines and paraphernalia were found in the house. On August 21, 2009, after admitting to the drugs found in the beach house, Takasō was served with a second charge for possession of stimulant drugs.