Ex-member of KAT-TUN found guilty over drugs

Jiji Press

13:05 JST, June 21, 2022

NAGOYA (Jiji Press) — Koki Tanaka, a former member of the Japanese pop idol group KAT-TUN, faced on Monday a 20-month prison sentence suspended for three years for possessing and using stimulants.

Tanaka, 36, “seems highly addictive to illegal drugs,” Nagoya District Court Presiding Judge Fumiaki Hiraki said.

According to the ruling, Tanaka had about 0.16 gram of a stimulant at a hotel in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, in January. He was also found to have used a small amount of the drug at another hotel the following month.

Hiraki pointed out that Tanaka continued stimulant use while he was aware of the possibility of becoming a police investigation target.

But the judge said Tanaka deserves the suspended sentence because he has shown remorse, although it may not be easy for him to wean himself off drugs.