Sei Tanaka 1 year in prison “I think it’s only natural,” says a friend of his, “I went out to see her every night,” an unrepentant attitude toward life up to the time of the trial.
On September 12, the Tokyo High Court ruled on an appeal by former “KAT-TUN” member Sei Tanaka, 37, who was sentenced to one year and four months in prison by the Chiba District Court in the first trial for violating the Methamphetamine Control Law.
The reason for the reduced sentence was given by the presiding judge,
The judge stated, “We believe that the efforts and results of the defendant’s efforts to break free from dependence on drugs are highly evaluated.
The judge also praised Tanaka’s efforts to get rid of his addiction at a rehabilitation facility after the district court’s decision.
Many female fans of Tanaka’s gathered at the Tokyo High Court from the morning to seek seats in the courtroom. In the end, about half of the seats were filled with female fans in their thirties, said a woman in her thirties who drew the lottery and attended the trial,
I’ve been a fan since I was in KAT-TUN. Since he committed a crime, I hope he will reflect on his crime for a year and then come back to show business. I look forward to seeing you live.
He said, “I’m looking forward to the concert,” but his tone was surprisingly devoid of tension. He said he was looking forward to the live show, but his tone was surprisingly lacking in nervousness, as his devoted fans have no doubt that Tanaka will return to the entertainment world.
Tanaka was first arrested in 2005 for violating the Marijuana Control Law for possessing marijuana on a street in Dogenzaka, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo. In June of the same year, he was sentenced by the Nagoya District Court to one year and eight months in prison with a three-year suspended sentence, but just nine days later, he was speedily arrested in his hometown of Chiba for possession of methamphetamine.
He has been arrested three times in total, and each time he has appealed to abstain from drugs and distance himself from the entertainment industry, but we have never seen him learn to work outside the entertainment industry or go out to work. Fans are also constantly checking his activities and plans, so they must feel the same way.
When asked about his post-return to society at his first appeal trial in July of this year, he replied, “I’m not sure (about a return to show business) right now,
He denied it, saying, “I am not thinking about (returning to show business) at all at the moment.
(Tanaka’s acquaintance),
I don’t know how to make a living outside of the entertainment industry because I’ve only known the entertainment industry…I’ve never had a regular job, so I don’t know how to make a living outside of the entertainment industry.”
He expressed his worries, saying, “I don’t know how to live outside of the entertainment industry, because I’ve never had a normal job. At that time, the acquaintance also told the following story.
Tanaka is living in a rehabilitation facility, but he is not monitored there. In fact, he often sneaks out at night to go see his girlfriend. I warned him that he might need that kind of distraction, but to stop being suspicious…. Anyway, he is popular and I can’t say no if he asks me out. When I think of him, I think it would be better to abstain from drugs, but also abstain from onna for a year or so.”
He concluded with these harsh but loving words: “My friends are waiting for me, so I hope he will come out after he is rehabilitated.
Incidentally, at the appeal hearing, there was no mention of Tanaka’s access to methamphetamine. In many cases, such inmates become acquainted with traffickers and addicts in prison, and there is no end to the number of those who turn to more evil paths, according to the court. As a celebrity, Tanaka will have to maintain a stronger sense of rehabilitation in order to avoid such a situation.
For the sake of his fans and friends, we hope that he will be rehabilitated.
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PHOTO.: Shinji Hasuo (1st and 3rd pictures)