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Two American women attempt to smuggle US$1 million worth of cannabis into Tokyo for a free trip to Japan

SoraNews24 Sep 11, 2026
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Suspect says she wanted to see Japan, but this was not the way to go about it.

One of the first things any visitor to Japan should know is that the country takes a hard stance against drugs – so much so that even common prescription drugs from overseas face stricter restrictions on these shores.

So if someone offers you a free trip to Japan on the proviso that you bring cannabis into the country, you’d be best off saying no, because chances are you won’t get in to see the country and you may never be allowed in ever again.

That’s the hard reality now being faced by two U.S. citizens who didn’t say no, and the irony is that the reason given for taking the job was a desire to see Japan. Neither of them made it past Haneda Airport, though, because they were stopped by customs officials after arriving on a flight from New York on 5 September, and after their luggage was inspected, 35 bags of dried cannabis were found hidden inside two suitcases.

The haul weighed in at around 30 kilograms (66 pounds), with an estimated street value of around 150 million yen (about US$1 million).

▼ This news report shows the drugs that were seized.

After their arrest, one of the suspects, a 25-year-old, admitted to the allegations of smuggling and said she had heard that working as a drug courier meant her airfare and accommodation would be covered. She also said she was attracted by the opportunity to visit Japan. The second suspect has denied the allegations.

Despite the desire to see Japan, the only thing the two suspects will now be seeing is the justice system firsthand. Under Japanese law, suspects can be held without charge for up to 23 days, and with a prevailing guilty-until-proven innocent mindset within the justice system, the conviction rate among those charged is incredibly high, at around 99 percent.

▼ Once these are on, there’s a high chance of a conviction.

Importing cannabis carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, while importing it for profit carries a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and potentially a fine of up to 3 million yen (about $19,500).

Foreign nationals convicted of drug offences can be denied entry to Japan with no specified period of exclusion. That means there isn’t a statutory period after which the prohibition automatically expires, so you could be denied entry for decades afterwards.

You don’t have to be carrying a large haul of drugs either, as Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explicitly states that importing cannabis and cannabis resin is prohibited.

So if you’ve ever toyed with the idea of bringing cannabis into Japan, don’t. Not only will you face severe penalties, you run the chance of being caught up in Japan’s legal system, which doesn’t play by the same rules as those abroad. Plus, you may not be allowed into the country in future, which is something that even celebrities like Paris Hilton, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney have experienced, due to previous drug convictions outside the country.

Sources: Nikkei, NTV News, Yahoo! Japan News
Top image: Pakutaso
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