Japanese Woman May Face Prison After Being Caught With a ‘Marijuana Hot Dog’ at Airport

A 21-year-old Japanese woman was arrested at Hiroshima Airport on September 20 after authorities discovered a small amount of marijuana tucked inside a hot dog bun.

Risa Yorizane, a Hiroshima resident and college student, was arrested by the police after arriving at the airport from her vacation in Europe, according to Nikkan Sports via SoraNews24.

Custom officials who inspected her luggage discovered approximately 0.97 grams of marijuana inside a hot dog bun. Yorizane admitted that she owns the drug inside the bread, but said she had no intentions of smuggling the contraband inside the country, and claimed she forgot placing it in her luggage.

Yorizane may not get off the hook that easily as Japan is known to have very strict rules against drug possession and smuggling into the country.

People caught possessing marijuana under the Cannabis Control Law in Japan may receive five years of prison time, plus hard labor, regardless of the amount of the contraband. The sentence, however, could be lowered to at least six months, but this is only for rare cases.

“Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs, including marijuana, are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and fines,” said on Countryreports.org.

Suspects who have been detained for drug-related crimes are also not allowed to receive visitors until the first hearing — unless, of course, it’s a lawyer.

There have been several cases in the past where people caught in possession of marijuana in Japan managed to get off the hook without spending time in prison. One popular example is Sir James Paul McCartney’s case back in 1980 when he spent nine days inside a 4-by-8 cell in a Tokyo prison before being released, and deported back to England, Beatles Daily reported.

Feature Image via Wikimedia Commons / Cyclone Bill

Share this Article