Japanese musician Aska’s loose lips anger Tokyo’s underworld
Japanese musician Aska has put himself "in a very precarious" position by apparently cooperating with police investigating his alleged drug use, according to an expert on Japan's underworld.
Japanese musician Aska has put himself "in a very precarious" position by apparently cooperating with police investigating his alleged drug use, according to an expert on Japan's underworld.
One half of the hugely popular duo Chage and Aska, the 56-year-old musician and song writer - whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki - was arrested on May 17 on suspicion of possessing ecstasy at the Tokyo home of an acquaintance, named as Kasumi Tochinai.
There’s an old saying about how one should never squeal. You just don’t
After being held for 10 days, police served Aska with a new arrest warrant for using stimulant drugs and a search of his home turned up 90 ecstasy pills.
Aska pleaded guilty to the charges on August 28 and is awaiting sentencing, with the court asked to take his cooperation into account.
That assistance has already led to the arrest of two men, including Takahiko Yasunari, a member of a gang affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai yakuza, over the alleged sale of drugs to Aska.
A senior member of the gang, one of the most powerful in Japan, told weekly news magazine Flash that the musician had made a serious mistake.
"Since Aska wants to avoid jail time, he is talking openly about how he got his drugs," the gang member said. "There's an old saying about how one should never squeal. You just don't do it."