<figure id="attachment_440327" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-440327" style="width: 1401px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="870f2292"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/09/a5442bb7404046d009496d06e40b08d0.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-440327" class="wp-caption-text">On September 24, defendant Hiroya Shimizu was released on bail from Tokyo Wangan Police Station, where he had been detained.</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> He was a polite guy with a straight face. &#8230;&#8230;</span></h2>
<p> Actor Hiroya Shimizu, 26, charged with violation of the Narcotics Control Law, was released on bail from Tokyo Wangan Police Station on September 24. Bail was set at 2 million yen. After coming out of the station, Shimizu said, &#8220;I would like to express my deepest condolences to many people,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I deeply apologize for causing worry and trouble to so many people,&#8221; he said.</span></p>
<p> He bowed his head. He looked as if he had lost some weight during his stay in jail. He will be supported in his rehabilitation by his older brother, actor Naoya Shimizu (30).</p>
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<p> Shimizu was arrested for possession of plant fragments containing marijuana in July and September 3, respectively. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office dropped the July charge and charged him with violating the Narcotics Control Law for possessing 0.392 grams of marijuana at his home in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, on the third of this month. According to investigators, Shimizu first experienced marijuana while studying abroad in the U.S. in 2007, and has been using it regularly since returning to Japan.</p>
<p> Another suspect, Kenshin Endo, 24, a fellow actor, was arrested in place of Shimizu. The suspect is suspected of possessing marijuana jointly with Shimizu. He has also appeared in NHK&#8217;s 2009 historical drama &#8220;Seiten wo Sukuke&#8221; and co-starred with Shimizu in the 2006 film &#8220;Mis Mis Misou. In an Instagram update on August 18, the suspect posted a friendly two-shot of him and Shimizu.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> He is still a relative unknown compared to Shimizu, but we always see each other at auditions for TV dramas. He is a level-headed and polite man. I had no idea he was involved in the case.</span></p>
<p> said an industry insider who knows Endo.</p>
<p> Endo visited Shimizu&#8217;s home on September 1 with a part-time cleaning worker in his 20s. The part-time cleaner was also arrested for violating the same law. Upon investigation, Endo denied the charges.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Why Marijuana Seizures Have Increased Eightfold"></div>
<h2><span class="strongInContent">Who is the owner of the dried marijuana?</span></h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Shimizu stubbornly refused to reveal the route by which he obtained the marijuana, but subsequent investigations revealed that he had obtained the marijuana through the part-time male who was arrested. The part-time man was also the one who communicated with the dealer. Endo had visited Shimizu&#8217;s home about five times. The authorities are investigating him as a &#8220;grassroots associate.</span></p>
<p> On the other hand, as the aforementioned female roommate was not prosecuted, it is not clear whether or not the Endo suspect will be charged. Shimizu was also not charged in the July case.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> It is a fact that there was dried marijuana in Shimizu&#8217;s home. The focus is on who the owner of the marijuana was. Shimizu, the owner of the house, admits that the marijuana belongs to him, but Endo says, &#8216;I saw something that looked like marijuana in the house, but it was not mine. How will the authorities break it down? Some say it will be difficult.</span></p>
<p> Nevertheless, the explosive spread of marijuana is behind the decision to focus on Endo in addition to Shimizu. Originally known as a &#8220;gateway drug,&#8221; marijuana is legal in some foreign countries, and criminal awareness is low.</p>
<p> The distribution of marijuana has exploded since the new COVID-19 crisis of 2008, when restrictions were placed on going out of the country. In the first half of this year, more than 1 ton of marijuana was seized at customs offices nationwide, the largest amount ever seized in a six-month period. The seizure of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs totaled 2,073 kilograms, a 33% increase over the same period last year.</p>
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<p> Among these, the amount of marijuana seized was 1,332 kilograms, an increase of more than eight times that of the previous year, and the situation is getting out of hand. The situation is out of control.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Looking at marijuana arrests, those under the age of 30 already account for more than 70% of all arrests, especially those in their 20s, and the number of minors, including high school students, is also on the rise. One of the main reasons for this is the growing availability of marijuana through social networking services, and the fact that marijuana is distributed at prices that are affordable even to young people.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The police are very concerned that young people who &#8220;get a taste&#8221; of marijuana will switch to other drugs, such as stimulants, in search of even stronger stimulation. On the other hand, the police do not intentionally target celebrities for arrest in order to sound a warning to the public. However, it is true that if a celebrity is arrested, the media will report it widely, as they did with the Shimizu defendant this time. The police are well aware of the influence of the media.</span></p>
<p> There are many cases in which people are not satisfied with marijuana and later switch to heavier drugs such as MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Recently, a synthetic drug called &#8220;zombie drug,&#8221; which has 100 times the analgesic effect of morphine and is raging in the U.S. and other countries, has been found to be spreading in some areas of Okinawa Prefecture and other parts of Japan.</p>
<p> The drug can be manufactured at a low cost. It is highly addictive, and those who ingest it become rigid like zombies. It is a drug that could destroy the country, and the authorities are extremely concerned about it. I hope the cases of Shimizu and Endo will make young people more law-abiding, even if only slightly. &#8230;&#8230;</p>


 Shinji Hasuo

 Shimizu Hiroya was charged with violation of the Narcotics Control Law and released on bail from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Tokyo Wangan Police Station, where he had been detained. His friend, actor Kenshin Endo, was also arrested. Behind the scenes, drug contamination is spreading in the entertainment industry. ......

Following the arrest of Hiroya Shimizu, Kenshin Endo was also arrested&#8230; Authorities are alarmed by the &#8220;explosive spread of marijuana,&#8221; which has increased eightfold compared to the previous year.

Following the arrest of Hiroya Shimizu, Kenshin Endo was also arrested… Authorities are alarmed by the “explosive spread of marijuana,” which has increased eightfold compared to the previous year.

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