The entertainment careers of pop singers Jill Vidal and Kelvin Kwan Chor-yiu have been cast into doubt following their arrest in Japan last week on suspicion of shoplifting and drug possession.
Amusic, which manages Vidal, said her contract would be terminated if she was found guilty of possessing drugs, while Universal Music said the arrest would strike a severe blow to Kwan's showbiz career.
'I received the news on Monday from his father,' Duncan Wong, a vice-president at Universal, said in a interview with a Hong Kong radio station. 'And the immediate response I had was, why did it happen? I was shocked and very disappointed.'
The two singers, who are believed to be romantically linked, were arrested in the Dogenzaka shopping area in Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district on February 24. Police were called to the scene by a shopkeeper who suspected the singers were stealing merchandise.
Police found a rolled-up cigarette containing about 0.2 grams of cannabis on Kwan, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.
Both stars remain in police custody, an official of the Japan National Police Agency said yesterday. It appears no charges have been filed although this could not be confirmed. The penalty for possessing small amounts of cannabis, deemed to be for personal use, is up to five years' jail.
Vidal, 26, and Kwan, 25, began their music careers in 2006 and have won a number of accolades, including awards for best new artist. They were even selected to take part in an anti-drug campaign two years ago, organised by the Security Bureau's Narcotics Division.