The arrest of pop singer-songwriter Shigeaki Miyazaki, better known as Aska, for alleged use of illegal stimulants, which came only two years after a suspended prison sentence on similar charges, has underscored the difficulty in helping drug addicts to rehabilitate.
Experts have called for the government to offer a comprehensive rehabilitation program that would enable patients to receive sufficient support.
Aska, 58, who was half of the long-running duo Chage and Aska, denied the latest charge after being arrested Monday. Police, who searched his home in Tokyo's Meguro Ward on Tuesday, quoted him as telling them, "I haven't seen drugs since I was arrested last time. I never (used drugs)."