Rugby Jul 12, 2019
Ex-Toyota Verblitz player Ryota Kabashima admits to cocaine possession
Former Toyota Verblitz flyhalf Ryota Kabashima was released on bail of ¥2 million ($18,460) on Friday, after admitting to a charge of possessing cocaine. "I am sorry for causing trouble to many people," Kabashima, 28, who faces a charge of violating the Narcotics Control ...
Rugby Jul 3, 2019
JRFU asks teams to interview players following recent drug arrests
The Japan Rugby Football Union on Wednesday requested all teams in the country's Top League interview their players following the arrests last month of two Toyota Verblitz members on suspicion of possessing cocaine. At a meeting in Tokyo, the sport's governing body asked representatives from ...
Rugby Jun 28, 2019
Steven Yates becomes second Toyota Verblitz player arrested on drug charge within a week
Another Toyota Verblitz player was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possessing cocaine, police said. Steven Yates, 35, has admitted to being in possession of a small amount of cocaine found in a plastic bag at his home in Nagoya the same day, the police said. Yates, ...
Rugby Jun 20, 2019
Toyota Verblitz flyhalf Ryota Kabashima was arrested Thursday on suspicion of possessing cocaine, police said, and the team has pulled out of the upcoming Top League Cup as a consequence. The 28-year-old Kabashima, also an employee of Toyota Motor Corp., is suspected of violating ...
World / Crime & Legal Jun 19, 2019
Street value tops $1 billion: Over 16 tons of cocaine intercepted at Philadelphia port
U.S. authorities seized more than $1 billion worth of cocaine Tuesday from a ship at a Philadelphia port, calling it one of the largest drug busts in American history. The U.S. attorney's office in Philadelphia announced the massive bust on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, saying ...
National / Crime & Legal Jun 18, 2019
Denki Groove's Pierre Taki given suspended sentence for cocaine use
The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday sentenced Pierre Taki, an actor and member of Japanese techno-pop duo Denki Groove, to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for using cocaine. The court ruled that Taki, 52, whose real name is Masanori Taki, snorted a ...
National May 28, 2019
Over 200 bags of cocaine found in stomach of Japanese who died on plane
More than 200 bags of cocaine were found in the stomach and intestines of a Japanese man who died last week on a flight from Mexico to Japan, Mexican officials said Monday. An autopsy revealed that the 42-year-old man had swallowed 246 bags. The man ...
National / Crime & Legal Apr 5, 2019
Pierre Taki of Japan techno-pop duo Denki Groove out on ¥4 million bail following cocaine charge
Pierre Taki, an actor and member of Japanese techno-pop duo Denki Groove, was released Thursday on bail of ¥4 million ($35,900) after he was indicted earlier this week on a charge of using cocaine. "Because of my anti-social behavior, I caused trouble and worry for ...
National / Media | Japan Pulse Mar 23, 2019
Denki Groove campaign reveals what Japan truly thinks of celebrities embroiled in drug scandals
by Patrick St. Michel
It doesn’t take much for a celebrity drug scandal to be picked up by domestic news outlets in Japan, so when TV personality Pierre Taki was arrested on suspicion of cocaine use on March 12, it’s perhaps not surprising that TV and print media ...
Business / Corporate Mar 14, 2019
Entertainment company Sega has canceled shipments of its video game "Judgment," also known as "Judge Eyes," after one of its voice actors was arrested on drug charges. The health ministry's drug division said actor and musician Pierre Taki, 51, was arrested in Tokyo earlier this ...
National / Crime & Legal Mar 13, 2019
Denki Groove's Pierre Taki arrested in drug bust and reportedly admits to using cocaine
Pierre Taki, a member of techno-pop duo Denki Groove and the voice of snowman Olaf in the Japanese-language version of the hit Disney movie "Frozen," was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of using cocaine, investigators said. The 51-year-old, whose real name is Masanori Taki, has admitted ...