TOKYO (TR) – The secretary-general of an organization that assists troubled persons who is in custody over the alleged possession of cocaine has been further accused of using the illegal drug, police said, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 19).
During questioning, Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), told police he received the cocaine from “a foreigner” in the Kabukicho red-light district.
On Thursday, police accused Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), of using cocaine, which is a violation of the Narcotics Control Act.
“I was using cocaine to stay awake so I could respond to consultation cases in the middle of the night,” Tanaka said in admitting to the allegations.
Tanaka also said that he started using marijuana about 10 years ago and cocaine around three months ago. When asked where he got the drugs, he told police, “If you buy it on social media, your history will be left behind. So, I approached a foreigner in Kabukicho and bought it from him with cash.”
On the night of May 18, police found Tanaka to be possession of a bag of cocaine in his wallet in Shinjuku Ward.
The results of a subsequent urine test was positive for illegal drugs. Police later found cocaine and trace amounts of marijuana in the suspect’s home.
That same night, police also arrested a woman in her 20s who was with Tanaka for allegedly using cocaine. She received consultations from Japan Refuge.
