Noriko Sakai Arrested!

***bulmasman*** · #1 9th August 2009, 06:05 PM

I'm really upset reading this

Noriko was my first Jpop idol... she's the reason I listen to Jpop to this day.

Quote:

Actress Noriko Sakai, who briefly disappeared in an apparent attempt to evade drug charges, turned up at a Tokyo police station Saturday night and was arrested on suspicion of possessing stimulants.

Sakai turned herself in at around 7:55 p.m. and admitted to the allegations, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Sakai had disappeared following Monday's arrest of her husband, Yuichi Takaso, 41, for alleged possession of amphetamines.

Source: Japan Times Online

I hope she'll be alright

**Zemus** · #2 9th August 2009, 08:29 PM

This news is very shocking to me. I couldn't believe my eyes when I randomly visited Tokyograph earlier today.

Noriko is one of my favorite Japanese entertainers; both as singer and actress. ~~My current avatar picture is actually a cover to one of her singles.~~ It's quite difficult to grasp considered how pure her idol image seemed to be around the late 80s and early 90s.

Anyway, I hope she will be OK. I'm also very worried about what is going to happen to her 10 year old son.

NEWS ARTICLES:

Sakai speaks about drug use, disappearance (Aug 10, 2009)
http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5132

Search ends with Sakai's surrender (Aug 8, 2009)
http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5130

Noriko Sakai case gets more grim (Aug 8, 2009)
http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5129

Police issue arrest warrant for Noriko Sakai (Aug 7, 2009)
http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5125

Pop star Sakai arrested in Tokyo
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8192181.stm

Actress Sakai arrested over drugs, admits to allegations (TOKYO, Aug. 8 KYODO)
http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstS...storyid=453725

In Japanese:

http://www.sanspo.com/geino/tokushu/geino-t11718.htm (page with all articles about Noriko)

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/etc/090809/...0035000-n1.htm (has some picture)
http://www.nikkansports.com/entertai...09-528275.html
http://www.nikkansports.com/entertai...09-529120.html

Polyrhythm · #3 9th August 2009, 08:32 PM

Whu oh......well that aint good...

rookies · #4 9th August 2009, 09:23 PM

Woah. o_O

I don't know much about Noriko Sakai, but I did try her songs some time ago.

Hope things will turn out okay for her.

pommy48 · #5 9th August 2009, 11:15 PM

The news have been about her in Taiwan the past couple of days

People thought maybe she was hiding because her husband got arrested, but now it looks like she was hiding because she also use drugs

Ah I feel bad for her son

And wasn't she in an anti-drug campaign some time ago? Not sure if I read the newspaper right or not~

**Zemus** · #6 9th August 2009, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pommy48

And wasn't she in an anti-drug campaign some time ago? Not sure if I read the newspaper right or not~

Yes, but I believe that was back in 1993 or something. This whole thing is odd, last month her brother was arrested for drugs too.

I still hope that there is some huge misunderstanding behind all this (wishful thinking)...

***bulmasman*** · #7 10th August 2009, 12:41 AM

All i could hope was that this would be one big misunderstanding, but the fact she seems to have gone on the run, and that she's now turned herself in kinda doesn't bode too well overall.

And Zemus, i'm completely with you on that, her image was so pure in her early career. Of course i don't expect for these people to stick 100% to their image, but it's still such a shock

murasakinohana · #8 10th August 2009, 04:45 AM

i saw the news on Channel News Asia last night and i was kinda shock about it too..

KarenPang · #9 10th August 2009, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murasakinohana

i saw the news on Channel News Asia last night and i was kinda shock about it too..

yeah & it was even reported in the local papers here in my country

I saw it a few days ago in the Life section of The Straits Times too

I don't know much about her but I can't help but feel sorry for Noriko's son

Evolution7/4 · #10 10th August 2009, 05:54 AM

NOO
I don't know her as a singer but shes a fantastic actress, especially in the J-horror films I've seen her in. This is sad.

**Zemus** · #11 10th August 2009, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Sakai speaks about drug use, disappearance

New information is being revealed from Noriko Sakai's questioning by the police. She already admitted using stimulants when she was arrested on Saturday, but now investigators are forming a clearer picture about her drug use and her recent disappearance.

Sakai stated that she started around the summer of last year, when her husband, Yuichi Takaso, suggested that they try the stimulants together. During his own separate interrogation, Takaso also stated that he was the one who encouraged Sakai to try the drugs.

According to Sakai, she usually heated the stimulants and inhaled them using a pipe. Investigators had searched her home and seized some paraphernalia, including straws, along with 8 milligrams of the drug wrapped in aluminum foil. Police say that a typical dosage is 30 milligrams, leading them to suspect that what they confiscated is just a remainder from her prior uses. They are currently trying to determine whether Sakai is a habitual user. A urine test conducted after her arrest showed negative results.

Sakai initially refused to speak about her movements during the past week while she was missing. She has now broken her silence, confirming that she had visited Yamanashi, where her cell phone's signal was last detected. However, she was mainly in Tokyo, spending nights in areas such as Shinjuku and Chuo. She also withdrew money twice from an ATM in Tokyo, and sent an envelope with cash to the friend who was taking care of her son.

The actress also explained some of her thoughts during her disappearance. She said she was surprised when she saw on TV that police were looking for her early on, and she began wondering what to do after learning that the mass media were camped outside the police station where Takaso was being held. When news of her arrest warrant went public, she realized how bad the situation was, so she managed to contact her lawyer to talk about turning herself in.

The investigation is still underway, but meanwhile, Sakai's career is quickly unraveling. Her agency appears to be planning to terminate her contract, especially now that the case has been sent to the prosecutor's office, as of Monday morning. Meanwhile, record label Victor Entertainment has made its own move, announcing that it is suspending all sales of Sakai's music. This covers not only the best album that was scheduled for release next month, but also includes taking her past CDs and DVDs off the shelves of retail stores and canceling additional shipments. Digital distribution is also being cut off. This kind of extreme action is rare, but a similar one happened after Tetsuya Komuro was arrested for fraud last November.

Source: http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5132

Now I am extrememly sad.

Evolution7/4 · #12 10th August 2009, 07:44 AM

Oh no. She's ruined.

Lets hope she will be safe from now on and be healthy, thats most important, but also that her career may start anew at some point.

njanjayrp · #13 10th August 2009, 08:08 AM

I only ever liked/tried a couple of her songs in the past, so I don't know that much about her. You'd think people get more mature with age, but there are always chances they would do the same thing kids would do. The only person who deserves the pity here is her son, it's hard to have one parent who is addicted to drugs not to mention two