70-year-old Japanese politician arrested in China on drug charges

He should have been trying to smuggle in some Prussian Blue and giving it to the hospitals and such.

Perhaps he did not bribe the airport officers enough?

I suppose when you're 70 years old, you don't realize that nearly 7lbs of drugs, probably wrapped up in plastic, tends to look a little sketchy in the X-ray machine.

Don't do the crime if you can't handle the punishment

hmmmmmm there is more to this than meets the eye.

Poor old guy! Maybe he thought it was just Viagra??

Most likely another trumped up excuse to "stick it" to Japan. Now I know where North Korea gets all its whacky ideas...

Holy c#$p, four Japanese were executed for drug trafficking in 2010! Wow, where/when was that reported here?!

How does a 70 year old get into meth?!

I call shenanigans! Sounds like a setup!

millions of people to and fro between CN & JP yearly, I believe successful drug trafficking cases is much more than fail ones like this.

Oldman-13, I think the adage is "don't pull the crime if you can't pull the time."

Bravo.

Interesting how little news is out about this case.

If somebody was trying to smuggle drugs out of my country.... heck.... dozo. Just don't bring them in!

A 70 y/o politician trying to smuggle meth? Did the yakuza have something on this guy that they could extort him? Is he really that stupid to risk his life? It doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, does it?

Diplomatic Immunity may be what he thought he had if he were ever caught. I am thinking this politician may have been a mule for years for the Yakuza.

Oh Come On! You all know this is a SETUP!

Why would a 70 Year Old "Japanese" Politician "Visiting" Communist China try to smuggle drugs?

That is completely absurd and I am 100% Sure this "Evidence" was planted on him and his associates he was traveling with during the time of their arrest.

This is a Witch Hunt. An Anti-Japanese Witch-Hunt brought on by The Communist Chinese Goverment's Anti-Japanese Propaganda Machine that is RAGING LIKE WILDFIRE throughout China.

It seems like to me that Communist China and Communist North Korea have developed patterns of detaining & or arresting Foreigners of certain countries they do not like and falsey accusing them of crimes they did not commit and furthermore forcing them into False Confessions resulting in either imprisonment, detention, or execution (rarely deportation).

If they plan to "Drum Head Trial" this Japanese Politican and if they execute him for a crime he did not commit or was forced to admit falsely, then I would consider this a homicidal murder by Communist China and I would consider it an Act of War against the People of Japan and summoning the Chinese Ambassador IMMEDIATLY before anything happens to this Man and his associates.

Travel Advisory to citizens of Japan and Counties that believe in Feeedom and Democracy: If you do not want to get areested and falsy accused of something you did not do, then avoid visitimg Communist China and Communist North Korea!

I guess SakeTown has no Spell Checker?? Anyway, this old geezer, if he was working for the Japanese YAKUZA, well let him HANG, the Chinese communist seem to know a thing or two about dealing with drugs, etc..

Who is making meth in China? And why isn't that stopped in a country with a loyal citizenry (what I gather from reading comments on a Japan Today) and watchful government?

@Sessie: This case was reported sometime ago in a JT board and people discussed. He was arrested and claimed he went China for his private business, then. It is in prosecutors' case now. Any drug case if verdict was handed down as prosecutor's case and defendent loses, death penalty in China. Prosecutors must have investigated his background in Aichi Prefecture since then.

Simple, really. Japan can check to see if him and his family live within their mean or not.

He's being setup. The Man was there on a business trip.

This is rediculus HE'S 70 YEARS OLD!!!!

President Obama promised to Crack Down on Communist China during his run for re-election, and so far, I have not seen any disciplinary action towards Communist China since he's been re-elected. In retrospect, it seems like he's taken the opposite course of action against Communist China by doing nothing.

I'm going to write my Congressman and my State Senator and I'm going demand Congress "bind" The President to his word and Crack Down on Communist China!

They've gone too far this time!

Undervaluing their Currency, The Illegal Acquisition of Boarders and Islands from Neighboring Countries by use of Communist Military Forces, Reconnaissance Planes, Civilian Craft, the establishment of an illegal ADIZ that comes with threats and warnings, and finally the illegal detention of Foreigners and threating to execute them for petty little crimes that they did not commit.

God I hate Communist China!

I love the Chinese People because I know that the Communist Culture is nothing intrinsic by nature.

They were not born with a Communist Mentality, it was taught to them by their Government by years and years of hateful and prejudice brainwashing.

People are not born into this world being hateful and prejudice - They're taught to be hateful and prejudice.

@Saketown Have you actually read up on this case from Japanese sources? Not just JapanToday, which is particularly vague these days. You'll find that the 70 year old's story doesn't quite check out and it's quite likely he wasn't set up.

@jojotoday

Honestly, if you think the guy was really trying to traffic drugs?

And why in his smart political mind would he do it in a country where they will Hang Someone for just looking at them in the wrong way?

You see what I'm saying? This doesn't make any sense to me and judging by the timing of Communist China's actions it makes me and the rest of the international community believe this "Drumhead Trial" is nothing more than political posterimg and a political cultural hatred towards Japanese.

@Saketown So you haven't read up on the case then. The Japanese government obviously have, hence the lack of outcry in Japan.

@saketown: Can Obama crack down China? Isn;t China an independent country? With its own Government and own legal system? BTW, 70 years old councilman in Japan is not a seniled old man. When he was arrestedm hus fekkow councilmen commented that he goes to China to do private business. Did not sound like a seniled old man.

He could be both "setup" and "guilty". First consider that the profit on meth is probably 10,000 times manufacturing cost. When an international drug deal is made, normally multiple mules will be used; only one needs to get through to fertilize the egg. Sometimes a mule may by sacrificed in a charade where the police are tipped to discover one mule, while going easy on another. That way, the police are still able to show they are doing there job, the kingpins can make their money, and the man playing the pachinko machine can "enjoy" it even more.

you cant even trust politicians these days.

Impossible to reach a conclusion either way based on this pathetically sparse amount of information. But there sure are a lot of comments.

According to last JT article, we found he has been traveling many times and so he knew how mucfh he can carry in his bags. What is his business that require frequent trip to China and neighboring countries?

Diplomatic Immunity may be what he thought he had if he were ever caught.

Not sure why he would think that. Diplomatic immunity is only accorded to Foreign Embassy staff above a certain rank. Foreign Consulates don't get diplomatic immunity. If consulates don't get immunity, why would a city assemblyman think he would get immunity?

Official arrest means one thing only - death sentence! Who are the others arrested? 3kg is one hell of a lot of drugs. If he is guilty then there is no mercy here...

If you travel to the PRC keep an eye on your luggage and if a friend asks you to take his luggage say ,"hell no".

The old guy was setup and now he is gong to hang for it.

Most likely the PRC will try and use him as a pawn.

JoeBigs, you seem to know something the rest of us don't. I for one don't believe that anyone knows for sure whether it was a set up or not, unless you are Mr. Takuma himself of course, or maybe have excellent interrogation skills. Completely ruling out the notion that he was a willing participant in illegal drug handling is irrational.

NeneswswDec. 16, 2013 - 12:20AM JST JoeBigs, you seem to know something the rest of us don't.

The man was known for his hardline stance on territorial issues, he arrives agrees to help a business colleagues by accepting his business colleagues luggage then he is busted with the drugs.

Classic setup.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/16/national/aichi-politician-seized-with-3-3-kg-of-drugs-at-chinese-airport-pleads-innocence/#.Uq6ddKOIqJB

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1356816/japanese-politician-takuma-sakuragi-arrested-guangzhou-drugs-charges