Jeremy O. Harris arrested in Japan for alleged drug smuggling

The acclaimed playwright behind Broadway’s Slave Play,  Jeremy O. Harris, has been detained in Japan for nearly three weeks following his arrest on drug smuggling charges at Naha Airport in Okinawa.

According to Reuters, Harris was stopped by customs officials on November 16 after they found a small amount, less than a gram of MDMA in his luggage. He remained in  custody under Japan’s strict narcotics laws.

On Thursday, local prosecutors received a criminal complaint from Okinawa customs, moving the case toward formal charges.

Authorities have not disclosed whether Harris has responded to the allegations and it is unclear if he has legal representation in Japan.

Harris had travelled to Okinawa from the UK, with a layover in Taiwan, reportedly for tourism. Okinawa, known for its beaches, lies about 930 miles southwest of Tokyo and is a popular vacation destination.

Harris rose to prominence with Slave Play, a provocative work examining race, sexuality, and power dynamics, which became the most Tony-nominated play in Broadway history.

He has also co-written the A24 film Zola, contributed to HBO’s Irma Vep, and is attached to adapt Brit Bennett’s novel The Vanishing Half. Japan enforces some of the world’s strictest drug laws, with even small-scale possession leading to prosecution.

While the penalties are severe, they are less extreme than those in some other Asian countries, including China and Singapore.

Several entertainment figures have faced similar legal issues in Japan. In 2018, Grammy-winning DJ David Morales was arrested at Fukuoka Airport over alleged MDMA possession, and Paul McCartney’s 1980 marijuana arrest in Tokyo resulted in a lengthy entry ban.