Arrested actress confesses using illegal drugs: media report

TOKYO: The arrested Japanese actress Erika Sawajiri, famous for her role in 2005 drama “1 Litre of Tears”, admitted that she used illegal drugs for some time.

Erika Sawajiri admitted to using illegal drugs for some time during the investigation, reported by NHK.

Police sent the 33-year-old actress to prosecutors on Sunday after arresting her the previous day on suspicion of possessing illegal substances, including the synthetic drug MDMA.

The sources say the 33-year-old has admitted that the drugs found at her apartment in Tokyo are hers. Police are analyzing her urine sample and results are expected in several days. She is likely to face an investigation into how she obtained the drugs.

She had been arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs, Reuters quoted NHK on Saturday citing unnamed sources.

The 33-year-old actress, who this year starred in a TV adaption of Toyoko Yamasaki’s hit novel “Shiroi Kyoto”, was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of possessing ecstasy, although few other details are known, NHK said.

Tear-jerker “1 Litre of Tears” made Sawajiri famous not only in Japan but across Asia with the drama’s depiction of its heroine’s physical deterioration from a rare disease.

Drug arrests are treated seriously in Japan with celebrities who are caught frequently edited out of movies and TV shows.

The Tokyo police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sawajiri’s talent agency was not immediately reachable for comment.