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Actress/Singer Noriko Sakai Charged, Dismissed from Agency
posted on by Egan Loo
38-year-old singer and actress Noriko Sakai was charged for alleged amphetamine possession by Japanese prosecutors last Friday. Later that same day, her talent agency Sun Music Production dismissed her, and the agency's president, Masahisa Aizawa, apologized on behalf of his company. Her record label, Victor Entertainment, has also ended her contracts and removed her CDs and DVDs from store shelves.
Tokyo police arrested Sakai after she turned herself in at a Tokyo police facility on August 8. Sakai had been missing since August 3, when her husband, self-described professional surfer Yuichi Takaso, had also been arrested for alleged possession of illegal stimulants. The police reportedly found 0.008 gram of amphetamine at her residence while she was missing. According to the investigation, a urine test after her arrest turned up negative, but her hair tested positive for traces of amphetamine.
In addition to her mainstream singing and acting career, Sakai performed the theme songs in Gunbuster, Video Girl Ai, and Anime Sanjūshi. She also played roles in the live-action Juon: The Grudge 2 film and the Soreike! Anpanman: Gomira no Hoshi anime, and narrated the Pikachu and Pichu short.
Source: The Japan Times, Tokyograph
