Former actress Saya Takagi was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison, suspended for three years, for possessing marijuana at her home on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture.
While Takagi, 53, pleaded not guilty during her trial at the Naha District Court, prosecutors said she was in possession of the drug on Oct. 25, 2016. They sought a one-year prison term without suspension.
According to the indictment, she had about 55 grams of marijuana at her home in cooperation with her housemates, including Shigenari Moriyama, 58.
Takagi, who was running a guesthouse on the island, said that the marijuana belonged to Moriyama and that she used it four to five times a month with his permission to ease pain after having a wisdom tooth removed. She has not been charged with marijuana use.
Takagi, whose real name is Ikue Masudo, advocated legalization of medical marijuana in her failed campaign to win a seat in the House of Councilors election last July.
Takagi, a native of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, made her acting debut in 1983. In recent years, she has promoted environmentally sustainable lifestyles.
