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Tokyo court gives Aska suspended prison term

Aska
Aska
TOKYO (TR) – The Tokyo District Court on Friday handed singer Aska a suspended three-year prison sentence on charges of possession and use of stimulant drugs, reports the Nikkei Shimbun (Sept. 12).

Prosecutors had sought a three-year prison term for Aska, 56, one half of the pop duo Chage and Aska. The sentence will be suspended for four years.

At the trial’s opening on August 28, Aska, whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki, pleaded guilty to both charges.

On May 17, officers first arrested Aska and 37-year-old acquaintance Kasumi Tochinai for possessing stimulant drugs at her apartment in Tokyo in April.

Police served the singer with a fresh arrest warrant on May 27 for using stimulant drugs. During a search of his home, officers found 90 MDMA pills (also known as Ecstasy).

On August 21, Tokyo police announced the arrest of Takahiko Yasunari, a 47-year-old member of th Daisho-kai, an affiliate gang of the Sumiyoshi-kai, for the sale of MDMA to Aska in March.

According to police, Aska indicated that he also purchased stimulant drugs from the gang.