Haruki Kadokawa, a former publisher convicted for smuggling cocaine from the United States, has been moved into detention at a medical prison after spending about a year in a hospital, sources close to the case said Sunday.
Kadokawa, 59, former president of Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., was convicted in connection with smuggling cocaine in 1993 and embezzling about 31 million yen of his company's funds from 1987 through 1992.
Prosecutors decided Kadokawa should be detained in the medical prison considering the state of his health, the sources said.
Kadokawa pleaded not guilty at his trial, but the Chiba District Court sentenced him to four years in prison in 1996.
Kadokawa appealed, but the Tokyo High Court turned down his appeal in 1999 and the Supreme Court in November 2000.
After the top court rejected his appeal and his sentence was finalized, Kadokawa was hospitalized and detention procedures were suspended.
Kadokawa resigned as president of the publishing company immediately after his appeal was dismissed by the top court.