TOKYO (TR) – A court here on Tuesday handed musician Pierre Taki, one half of the synth-pop duo Denki Groove, a suspended prison term over the use of cocaine, reports Jiji Press (June 18).
At the Tokyo District Court, presiding judge Hironobu Ono handed Taki, 51, an 18-month term, suspended for three years.
On March 12, the Kanto Narcotics Control Department searched the Setagaya Ward residence of Taki, whose real first name is Masanori. No drugs were found, but a subsequent analysis of the urine of the musician provided a positive result for cocaine.
At the opening of the trial on June 5, Taki admitted to the allegations. “I entered the entertainment industry as a musician, but various jobs, such as an actor began to come in, and I endured a lot of pressure in my personal life,” Taki told the court. “[I used cocaine] for stress relief.”
Prosecutors indicted Taki in April. Thereafter, Sony Music Artists Inc. cancelled its contract with the musician.
Denki Groove formed in 1989. Taki also regularly appears in a number of dramas for public broadcaster NHK, including this year’s fictional series “Idaten.” He also was the Japanese voice of the character Olaf in the hit animation “Frozen.”
