OSAKA - Authorities in Kyoto and Osaka have arrested three men in separate drug cases involving so-called zombie cigarettes containing the designated drug etomidate, as investigators step up efforts against the illegal trade in the Kansai region.
In Kyoto, police arrested 59-year-old Masahiko Nishiyama, also known as Jeong-je Cho, and 56-year-old Teruhiko Kashiwa on suspicion of violating the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act.
The two are suspected of conspiring with others to illegally import etomidate from Malaysia.
Police said the suspects have told investigators that they were introduced to the smuggling operation by an acquaintance and brought the drug into Japan.
Authorities seized nine types of drugs during the investigation, including stimulants, marijuana and etomidate.
So-called zombie cigarettes are not conventional cigarettes and may contain no tobacco. The term generally refers to illicit electronic-cigarette or vaping liquids containing etomidate, a powerful sedative used in some countries as an anesthetic.
The nickname comes from the severe physical effects that can occur after the drug is inhaled. Users may lose coordination, stagger, become unable to control their movements or experience involuntary movements and convulsions. More serious effects can include profound sedation, impaired consciousness, respiratory depression and loss of consciousness.
Etomidate itself has legitimate medical applications overseas, where it can be administered by medical professionals to induce anesthesia. In illicit vaping products, however, users inhale the substance outside a controlled medical environment, with no reliable way to know its concentration or what other drugs or chemicals may have been mixed into the liquid.
Japanese authorities began raising alarms over the recreational use of etomidate after abuse cases were identified in Okinawa. The health ministry issued a warning in May 2025 as concern grew over products containing the substance.
Japan subsequently designated etomidate as a designated drug under the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act, with restrictions taking effect on May 26, 2025. Its manufacture, importation, sale, possession, purchase and use for unauthorized purposes are prohibited.
Authorities have also warned that the effects of etomidate can create dangers beyond the user, including accidents caused by people who become severely impaired after taking the drug.
The problem initially drew particular attention in Okinawa, but enforcement cases later emerged in other parts of Japan. By November 2025, the health ministry had confirmed arrests or enforcement cases in several prefectures outside Okinawa, although it said at the time that abuse had not yet spread nationwide.
The latest arrests in Kansai indicate that authorities are continuing to encounter etomidate-containing vaping products outside the areas where the problem was first identified.
In a separate case in Osaka, 31-year-old Tatsuhide Takahashi was arrested on suspicion of violating the Stimulants Control Act and other laws after allegedly possessing stimulants, zombie cigarettes and other drugs for commercial purposes in Osaka City's Tennoji Ward.
The Narcotics Control Department of the Kinki Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare believes several other people may be connected to the case and is continuing its investigation.
Authorities have not disclosed whether Takahashi has admitted or denied the allegations.
Source: ABCTVnews
