<figure id="attachment_459179" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459179" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7f56a4ca"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/18efebb730e8910a68b48880ca5ed38e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459179" class="wp-caption-text">Junho Sakai, aka SIMON, the producer of &#8220;XG,&#8221; was arrested for a current violation of the Narcotics Control Law (possession).</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> Before his arrest, he had been frequenting a bar he frequented.</span></h2>
<p> The music industry was shocked.</p>
<p> On February 23, Junho Sakai, 39, aka SIMON, producer of the world-renowned HipHop/R&amp;B group &#8220;XG,&#8221; was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department&#8217;s Drugs and Firearms Division for possession of cocaine in a hotel room in Aichi Prefecture, in violation of the Drug Control Law.</p>
<p> At that time, Kim Michael Chung, 39, a self-proclaimed music producer for the entertainment agency XGALX, and Yudai Hasegawa, 38, and Noritoshi Yanagawa, 51, both employees of Avex, who were in the same room, were also arrested.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Based on information received in March of last year, the Metropolitan Police Department had been conducting a year-long reconnaissance investigation. When investigators raided the hotel room shortly after midnight on the day of the arrest, they found four people in the room, and on the desk was a small bag containing powder believed to be cocaine, as well as a plant fragment believed to be dried marijuana.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The investigation is a long-term one, and the Metropolitan Police Department strongly suspects that Sakai has been using illegal drugs for more than a year. They have already completed a raid on his home and are working to uncover the full extent of his involvement, including the route by which he obtained the drugs,&#8221; said a reporter from the social media department of a national newspaper.</span></p>
<p> Sakai, who has a Korean father and Japanese mother, was born in Seattle, U.S., and raised in South Korea, where he debuted in the seven-member K-pop idol group &#8220;DMTN&#8221; in &#8217;12. After the group disbanded in &#8217;14, she began her career as a composer and music producer under the name &#8216;JAKOPS.&#8221; As the general producer and SIMON of the girl group &#8220;XG&#8221; formed by 7 Japanese women in 22 years, his name is well known all over the world.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> XG&#8217;s debut song &#8220;Tippy Toes&#8221; became the first Japanese artist to reach #1 weekly on the U.S. Billboard charts, and their single &#8220;Work Up,&#8221; released in &#8217;24, topped the charts in five countries, including the U.S. and U.K.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> At the Coachella Festival, the world&#8217;s largest music festival, held in April 2013, she became the first Japanese performer to perform on the Sahara Stage, the largest indoor stage among the multiple stages.</span><span class="strongInContent"> Sakai&#8217;s ability to make XG a world-class artist only three years after its debut is highly regarded in the music industry, and he was a &#8220;charismatic&#8221; figure.</span></p>
<p> At 8:45 a.m. on the 24th, the day after his arrest. When Sakai appeared in a convoy from the Wangan Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he was wearing black-rimmed glasses and staring straight ahead. However, when he was hit by the flashes of the press cameras, he closed his eyes in surprise, and when he opened them again, he had a stunned look on his face, as if he had given up on everything.</p>
<p> Sakai was frequently seen at night in Shibuya clubs, and when Friday Digital visited a bar frequented by Sakai in Shibuya Ward, they found that he had visited the bar just the other day and appeared to be in the same state of mind as usual.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" XG issued a sad statement"></div>
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<h2><span class="strongInContent">XG is not involved in any way.</span></h2>
<p> On the 24th, the official X of &#8220;XG&#8221; was updated and released a statement.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> We deeply apologize to ALPHAZ (editor&#8217;s note: the official fan club of &#8220;XG&#8221;) and all those involved for causing great concern and inconvenience in relation to the series of news reports.</span></p>
<p> After apologizing for this,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> XG is not involved in this matter in any way.</span></p>
<p> XG denied any involvement in this matter. XG&#8221; also denied any involvement,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> We apologize for the delay.</span></p>
<p> We apologize for the delay.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> We will continue to be faithful to our music and to our activities as XG.</span></p>
<p> The company added, &#8220;We will continue to be faithful to our music and to our activities as XG.</p>
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<p> Sakai announced her marriage last June. On his SNS, he said, &#8220;I have seven daughters who are very important to me,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I have seven precious daughters and a family called XGALX. From now on, I will make further efforts and take on a new stage so that I can add her to my family, protect them, and show them a more beautiful view of the world.</span></p>
<p> He had declared, &#8230;&#8230;.</p>
<p> The &#8220;fallen charismatic&#8221; Sakai&#8217;s admission or denial has not been made public.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The true face of the &quot;fallen charisma"></div>
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<figure id="attachment_459180" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459180" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="effb5c9f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/f8e10464afe2aca329c079603f4f8a2b-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459180" class="wp-caption-text">Suspect Junho Sakai meditates in a convoy.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_459181" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459181" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="47d147af"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/93812f5ff7b309455e0ea1dc5ca9e1b6.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459181" class="wp-caption-text"> The Metropolitan Police Department believes he has been using illegal drugs regularly for more than a year</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_459182" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459182" style="width: 1194px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="138974e7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/c809b404d6eeb98299371b69ddfaef45.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459182" class="wp-caption-text"> Junho Sakai, who announced her marriage last June (from her Instagram @simonjakops)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_459183" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-459183" style="width: 1500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="01f8fa1f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/02/6846872471ff9535bbacd819edf942e6.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-459183" class="wp-caption-text"> Junko Sakai with members of &#8220;XG&#8221; (from her Instagram @simonjakops)</figcaption></figure>
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 Shinji Hasuo

 On February 23, Junho Sakai, 39, aka SIMON, the producer of the world-famous HipHop/R&B group "XG," was arrested on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Law (possession). A few days earlier, he had been seen at a bar in Shibuya Ward.

The producer of “XG” was arrested for violating the Narcotics Control Law.

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