<figure id="attachment_321122" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1016px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-321122"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2556d915"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/07/ef4856e744c73c3c50cef8f58468a4f7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-321122" class="wp-caption-text">Defendant Kento Nagayama appears before the press on bail.</figcaption></figure>
On July 6, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office charged actor Kento Nagayama, 34, with violation of the Cannabis Control Law for possession of marijuana at his home in Meguro-ku, Tokyo.
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Nagayama allegedly possessed approximately 1.694 grams of dried marijuana at his home in Meguro-ku, Tokyo, on the night of June 15. The seized marijuana was found wrapped in plastic wrap in a pouch hanging from a light stand.
In fact, Nagayama was arrested twice on June 16.
On the evening of June 15, investigators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raided his apartment and seized marijuana, and he was arrested before dawn on June 16, this time on a charge of possession of marijuana in April. He was arrested again that afternoon on the charge of marijuana possession on June 15, making it two arrests in one day, an unusual marijuana arrest.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office charged him with marijuana possession on June 15, but did not prosecute the April arrest.
Why was the April marijuana possession charge dropped? The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has not revealed the reason.
 The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has not revealed the reason, but said, &#8220;We received a tip in January, and it seems that the charges were solidified in April and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but I think they were looking at the timing of the arrest. Even if they stepped in and arrested him, if they could not seize the product, there was a high possibility that the case would end in a hung jury (no prosecution).
&#8220;In principle, drug cases must be accompanied by the product (e.g., marijuana). In particular, the use of marijuana itself is not subject to crackdown. This time, they may have raided his house because they had strong information that they could seize the drugs,&#8221; said a reporter from a national newspaper.
Nagayama admitted to the possession charge in June and said, &#8220;I have been doing it for a long time.&#8221;
 and &#8220;I wanted to quit.
The April charge was reportedly had a &#8220;I don&#8217;t know because I don&#8217;t remember.&#8221;  testimony.
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 The police may have decided that it would be difficult to build a case against him for the marijuana possession charge in April, since there was no evidence of possession and no confession from him. In any case, since the marijuana was seized in the June 15 raid, he may have narrowed the case down to one for possession of marijuana on the same day, when a conviction is more likely.
I have covered several celebrity drug cases, and I have heard that when a famous singer was arrested for possession of marijuana, there was a strong tip that marijuana was on his bed porch, and when they raided the house, they found marijuana in the same place as the tip, and were able to catch him red-handed.
Conversely, a famous celebrity was arrested on information that he had cocaine in a vial of salt in his kitchen, but the vial contained only salt and the investigator was stumped.
Although the truth is not known, rumors that information about the raid had been leaked beforehand had been discussed.
Nagayama is expected to stand trial before the end of the year.
&#8220;The charges against him in April were dropped, and he was only charged with one count in June. Also, the amount in his possession was only about one time. And since it was his first offense, there is a good chance he will receive a suspended sentence. He will probably be sentenced to one year in prison with a three-year suspended sentence,&#8221; said a legal expert.
In any case, he was scheduled to appear in next year&#8217;s NHK historical drama &#8220;Hikaru Kimi e&#8221; (To the Luminous Kimi), but he has dropped out of the drama and will lose all of his work and be under house arrest for a long period of time. &#8211;The cost of the &#8220;1.694 grams&#8221; was too great.

 Ryo Sakamoto is a former head of the Culture and Society Department of Tokyo Sports Newspaper. After retiring, he started the web magazine "PlusαToday" and writes articles on movies and Hollywood information. Member of the Japan Film Pen Club.

 Ryo Sakamoto (Writer)

 Shinji Hasuo

 Actor Kento Nagayama, who was arrested and charged with violation of the Marijuana Control Law, was released on bail and appeared in front of the press on April 7 after posting 3 million yen bail. He was not indicted on the charges he faced in April. ......

Kento Nagayama, Arrested for Possession of Dried Marijuana –Circumstances behind the April Charges were still not prosecuted.

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