TOKYO -- The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested actor Hiroya Shimizu on Sept. 3 on suspicion of violating Japan's drug law for allegedly possessing cannabis at his residence.
The 26-year-old actor from Tokyo's Suginami Ward is specifically accused of possessing plant material containing marijuana at his home around July 10. He has reportedly admitted to the allegations, and told investigators, "There is no doubt that I had marijuana."
The MPD's drug and firearms control division also arrested a woman in her 20s living with Shimizu on the same allegation.
According to investigative sources, police received information in January about suspected cannabis use by Shimizu. On the morning of Sept. 3, they searched his home and seized plant material believed to be marijuana, rolling papers and other items. Police are investigating the source of the drugs and analyzing the seized items, considering the possibility that the actor was a habitual user.
Shimizu made his acting debut in the 2012 film "Shindo." He has appeared in notable works such as the "Tokyo Revengers" film series, the NHK morning drama "Welcome Home, Monet" (Okaeri Mone) and the TBS drama "The Diamond Sleeping in the Sea" (Umi ni Nemuru Diamond). He is currently playing a doctor, a colleague of the protagonist, in the ongoing TBS drama "The 19th Medical Chart" (19-banme no Karte).
(Japanese original by Minori Nagaya, Tokyo City News Department)