<figure id="attachment_458876" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-458876" style="width: 916px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="118f2f3d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/ee39271c090d54552f93dcc86a3e99a3.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-458876" class="wp-caption-text">The suspect, Kubota, was sent to the police station on February 19. He was staring blankly ahead, seemingly oblivious to the press.</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Incident Uncovered in Apartment Fire</span></h3>
<p> A little after 9:00 a.m. on February 19, a middle-aged man with a shaved head emerged from the Kodaira Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The man, who said he was a cab driver, was walking led by a policeman, staring only vaguely ahead. Perhaps it was because his arrest came out of the blue.</p>
<p> The Higashimurayama Police Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Naoki Kubota, 54, on suspicion of violating the Marijuana Cultivation Control Law. The suspect was suspected of cultivating five pots of marijuana plants in a room of an apartment in Higashimurayama City, where he lived at the time, between March and late September of last year. The incident came to light by chance.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> In late September of last year, a fire broke out near the outlet of a washing machine in Kubota&#8217;s house. Someone who noticed the sound of the fire alarm called 119. The cause of the fire was believed to be an electrical leak.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> At the time, Kubota was out for work, but firefighters who arrived to extinguish the fire found a suspicious potted plant in the living room and called the police. The potted plant was marijuana grass and contained 25 grams of dried marijuana. Kubota admitted the charge, saying, &#8220;There is no doubt that he was growing marijuana plants at home,&#8221; but there was no evidence that he was using them, and the police are investigating the purpose of cultivation and how he obtained them.</span></p>
<p> Ryoji Takahama, a former drug enforcement officer, said of the case <span class="strongInContent">, &#8220;There is a possibility that it was cultivated for profit, but it is difficult to prove that.</span></p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> A quantity of 25 grams is about 50 cigarettes when dried and rolled. Lights have been seized, but no full-scale cultivation equipment has been found. It would not be unnatural to claim that he was cultivating it for his own use. In fact, there are many examples of people growing two or three pots on balconies or in closets for their own use.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> However, there have been cases in the past of cab drivers selling drugs to their customers, and Kimura may have grown and sold some before this time. However, this case was discovered by chance and there is no information available, so it would be speculation.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> The number of cases of arrests for cultivating marijuana plants has more than doubled in recent years compared to 10 years ago. In addition to the current case, at least the following three cases have been reported since the beginning of this year.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" A string of arrests for cultivating marijuana for profit"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">Marijuana is profitable.</span></h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> On January 13, an unemployed Vietnamese national, 36, of Tsukubamirai City, Ibaraki Prefecture, was arrested by Ibaraki Prefectural Police for violating the Marijuana Cultivation Control Law (for profit) by growing 122 marijuana plants at a residence in Joso City, and a welder, 27, of the same nationality, for 128 marijuana plants at a residence in Bando City.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The unemployed man was re-arrested on February 2 on suspicion of cultivating 76 marijuana plants for profit at his detached house and possessing approximately 413.8 grams of marijuana (worth approximately 2 million yen).</span></p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> On January 21, Osaka Prefectural Police arrested a 51-year-old izakaya owner in Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka City, and a 68-year-old unemployed man in Kyotanabe City on suspicion of conspiring to grow 75 potted marijuana plants for profit at the unemployed man&#8217;s home. A total of 975 grams of marijuana, including the potted plants, was seized from the two men&#8217;s home.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The unemployed Vietnamese national, 32, was arrested by the Ibaraki Prefectural Police on February 12 on suspicion of cultivating 208 marijuana plants for profit at a house in Tsukuba City that he rented under someone else&#8217;s name. The man was arrested on suspicion of violating the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law (possession) for possessing approximately 9.2 g of dried marijuana at the same residence in January of this year.</span></p>
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<p> Why are marijuana weed cultivation cases on the rise? Mr. Takahama, the aforementioned director of the Center, points out the background as follows: &#8220;In the Showa period, all drugs were cultivated.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> In the Showa period, when all drugs were handled by gangsters, stimulants were the mainstay of drugs, but about 30 years ago, marijuana spread explosively after Iranians began dealing it. Since some countries have lifted the ban on marijuana, many young people have no sense of guilt. Furthermore, with the development of communication devices and social networking sites, users can now easily become dealers. Anti-corporation organizations, having noticed the increasing demand for marijuana, have begun to cultivate marijuana on a large scale in houses and warehouses, saying &#8216;marijuana is profitable,&#8217; and this is probably the reason for the increase in the number of exposures.&#8221;</span></p>
<p> Was Kimura growing marijuana to smoke himself, or was he just trying to make some extra cash? Either way, careless cultivation will surely lead to an irreversible situation.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" [Image] I never thought I would get caught... The stunned suspect."></div>
<figure id="attachment_458877" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-458877" style="width: 916px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="69cc92dc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/698a196fddb83382b98605c1c5755cff.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-458877" class="wp-caption-text">Occasional blind eye gestures.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_458878" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-458878" style="width: 1887px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3fd016f6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/5f44b3e46fba8b2595f6f102a60adae4.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-458878" class="wp-caption-text"> He admits to growing marijuana plants in his room.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_458879" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-458879" style="width: 798px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c2290f8f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/a919757b17a75940fe87ba2bb3bb7d12.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-458879" class="wp-caption-text"> He never would have thought it would be discovered when the fire broke out.</figcaption></figure>


 Shinji Hasuo

 On February 17, the Higashimurayama Police Department of the Metropolitan Police Department arrested a cab driver on suspicion of growing marijuana plants in his room. The incident was discovered by coincidence, when a fire, possibly caused by an electrical leak, broke out in a room of the man's apartment.

Accidental discovery of apartment fire → arrest… “Why” a cab driver in his 50s was growing marijuana.

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