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Police Are Irritated by Japanese Public's 'Flippant' Reaction to Pierre Taki's Drug Crime

Denki Groove member and actor Pierre Taki (real name Masanori Taki) was arrested in March for alleged illegal possession and use of cocaine. Since then, his roles in Judgment and Kingdom Hearts III, among other titles, have been recast. His image has even been removed from a manhole in Fujieda City in Shizuoka Prefecture, indicating the extent to which the actor and performer is being erased from the Japanese entertainment industry.

On April 4, Taki was released on bail of 4 million yen (US$36,312). After being released from police custody, he made a brief appearance in front of the media, where he bowed his head and made a grave apology. The Japan Times reports him as saying, "Because of my anti-social behavior, I caused trouble and worry for many people. I'm very sorry."

However, the police are perturbed by Taki's rapid change of attitude within three weeks. On April 25, fellow Denki Groove member Takkyu Ishino posted a photo of him and Taki smiling together on Twitter, captioning it: "My first time seeing Taki in a month-and-a-half. We smiled until we were sweaty!"

The tweet has since gathered around 75,000 retweets and 358,000 likes.

The police are irritated by the number of likes this post accumulating, claiming that it's an indication of the public's flippant attitude towards Taki's crimes.

"The Narcotics Control Department of Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is concerned that by creating the impression that Taki can be accepted as if his crimes never happened, these actions will enable young people to engage in drug-related crime," a Narcotics Control Department insider told Tokyo-Sport.

Taki's first public hearing will be on June 5.

According to authorities, Taki tested positive for cocaine in a urine test conducted on the night of March 12. Authorities have confiscated his smartphone, and are investigating when and where he used it. Authorities also confiscated a rolled up South Korean won bill that he supposedly used as a straw. According to the Narcotics Control Department, Taki had been under investigation since fall last year.

Source: The Japan Times, Tokyo-Sports via OTAQUEST (Lizzy Chan)