News On Japan

Police believe marijuana’s hallucinogenic properties caused man to plunge to his death in Shibuya

Jun 12 (tokyoreporter.com) - TOKYO (TR) – A 22-year-old man who fell to his death from a restaurant window in Shibuya Ward last month had marijuana in his system, police have revealed.

Police believe that the hallucinogenic properties of the drug caused the death of the man, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (June 11).

At around 5:00 a.m. on May 21, the man plunged about 12 meters to the ground from a window of an Italian restaurant on the fourth floor of a restaurant in the Udagawacho area.

The man, who suffered severe head injuries, was later confirmed dead at a hospital, police said.

At the time of the incident, the restaurant was closed but hosting a group of six persons, aged in their teens to 20s.

“From the night before, we were drinking and smoking marijuana,” one of the five other participants told police.

“He got up and started running”

Prior to the arrival of police, the remaining five persons are believed to have disposed of the marijuana they had on hand.

However, the results of analyses of the urine of the six persons gave positive results for four of them, including the man who died, police said.

“He went to sleep on a sofa after looking a bit strange, but suddenly he got up and started running,” one of the five other persons told police of the man who died. “He then opened the window himself and fell.”

Based on evidence at the scene, there were no signs of a struggle or reason to believe that he committed suicide, police said.

Police attempted to learn how the group obtained the marijuana. But since the Marijuana Control Law does not regulate use, the four who tested positive were not arrested.

Misconceptions

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, harmful components in marijuana can affect the brain and cause hallucinations and memory loss. However, there are widespread misconceptions among young people that marijuana is harmless.

According to the National Police Agency, about 70 percent of the 5,034 people who were arrested last year for possession of marijuana were in their 20s or younger. Earlier this year, the ministry advanced police for criminalizing the use of marijuana.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

McDonald's Japan announced it will phase out the use of paper straws and introduce new lids that allow customers to drink directly from the cup without a straw starting on November 19th.

President Trump arrived in Tokyo on October 27th for his first visit to Japan since beginning his second term, with the goal of reinforcing the Japan-U.S. alliance and strengthening deterrence amid growing regional tensions involving China and North Korea.

The Nikkei Stock Average surpassed the 50,000-yen mark for the first time ever as trading began on Monday in Tokyo, marking a historic milestone for Japan’s equity market. The breakthrough occurred just three minutes after the opening bell at 9 a.m., with traders at some securities firms preparing to celebrate with a traditional kagami-biraki sake ceremony.

Japan’s H3 Rocket No. 7, carrying a newly developed unmanned cargo spacecraft, successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9 a.m. on October 26th, marking another milestone for the nation’s space program.

A Tokyo District Court has ruled that addressing a colleague using the 'chan' suffix constitutes sexual harassment, ordering a male employee to pay 220,000 yen in damages.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A 38-year-old man was arrested near the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on October 24th after attacking a riot police officer with a knife, injuring the officer’s right leg.

A group in Sapporo achieved a Guinness World Record on October 25th for creating the world’s largest sentence made entirely from plastic bottle caps. The artwork, composed of around 80,000 caps, was officially recognized under the category “Largest Sentence Made from Bottle Caps.”

A Tokyo District Court has ruled that addressing a colleague using the 'chan' suffix constitutes sexual harassment, ordering a male employee to pay 220,000 yen in damages.

A 47-year-old man accused of possessing cannabis in Nagoya has been acquitted after the Nagoya High Court ruled that the procedures used to seize the evidence were illegal. The decision, handed down on October 9th, became final after prosecutors decided not to appeal.

A 38-year-old man was killed on October 24th in the village of Higashinaruse, Akita Prefecture, after attempting to rescue a couple in their seventies who were being attacked by a bear.

A memorial service marking 80 years since the end of World War II was held in Shari, a town in Hokkaido’s Shiretoko region, on October 22nd to honor those who perished in the Northern Territories and other areas.

Police in Osaka arrested a 48-year-old man on October 22nd after a tense 14-hour standoff in which he allegedly held a woman at knifepoint inside an apartment. A special tactical unit forced entry into the residence late at night, ending the standoff without injuries.

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.