Latest news with #YoshihideTanaka
Tokyo Reported
07-06-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Kabukicho support group official admits to buying cocaine from ‘a foreigner'
TOKYO (TR) – The secretary-general of an organization that assists troubled persons who is in custody over the alleged possession of cocaine has been further accused of using the illegal drug, police said, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 19). During questioning, Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), told police he received the cocaine from 'a foreigner' in the Kabukicho red-light district. On Thursday, police accused Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), of using cocaine, which is a violation of the Narcotics Control Act. 'I was using cocaine to stay awake so I could respond to consultation cases in the middle of the night,' Tanaka said in admitting to the allegations. Tanaka also said that he started using marijuana about 10 years ago and cocaine around three months ago. When asked where he got the drugs, he told police, 'If you buy it on social media, your history will be left behind. So, I approached a foreigner in Kabukicho and bought it from him with cash.' Yoshihide Tanaka (X) On the night of May 18, police found Tanaka to be possession of a bag of cocaine in his wallet in Shinjuku Ward. The results of a subsequent urine test was positive for illegal drugs. Police later found cocaine and trace amounts of marijuana in the suspect's home. That same night, police also arrested a woman in her 20s who was with Tanaka for allegedly using cocaine. She received consultations from Japan Refuge.
Tokyo Reported
07-06-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Kabukicho support group official admits to buying cocaine from 'a foreigner'
TOKYO (TR) – The secretary-general of an organization that assists troubled persons who is in custody over the alleged possession of cocaine has been further accused of using the illegal drug, police said, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 19). During questioning, Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), told police he received the cocaine from 'a foreigner' in the Kabukicho red-light district. On Thursday, police accused Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), of using cocaine, which is a violation of the Narcotics Control Act. 'I was using cocaine to stay awake so I could respond to consultation cases in the middle of the night,' Tanaka said in admitting to the allegations. Tanaka also said that he started using marijuana about 10 years ago and cocaine around three months ago. When asked where he got the drugs, he told police, 'If you buy it on social media, your history will be left behind. So, I approached a foreigner in Kabukicho and bought it from him with cash.' Yoshihide Tanaka (X) On the night of May 18, police found Tanaka to be possession of a bag of cocaine in his wallet in Shinjuku Ward. The results of a subsequent urine test was positive for illegal drugs. Police later found cocaine and trace amounts of marijuana in the suspect's home. That same night, police also arrested a woman in her 20s who was with Tanaka for allegedly using cocaine. She received consultations from Japan Refuge.
Japan Times
20-05-2025
- Japan Times
Youth support group official arrested for cocaine possession
A senior official of a nonprofit organization that helps young women obsessed with host clubs and teen runaways in Tokyo's Kabukicho district has been arrested for cocaine possession. Yoshihide Tanaka, 44, was arrested on Sunday with a woman in her 20s who is believed to have sought help from the group. Tanaka, who serves as secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera, was arrested on the streets of Shinjuku Ward when police officers questioned him and the woman. The officers found the drugs when they checked his belongings. Tanaka has reportedly admitted to the charges, saying it was for his own use. When Nippon Kakekomidera's leader, Hidemori Gen, met him on Monday evening together with a lawyer after his arrest, Tanaka also admitted to using cocaine, the group said. It said a urine sample provided by Tanaka tested positive for illegal drugs. The group strongly condemns Tanaka's actions, saying he took advantage of his position and used cocaine with someone he should have been helping. 'I never imagined he, of all people, would possess or use drugs,' Gen said in a statement. 'I was stunned with deep anger and a sense of betrayal.' Yoshihide Tanaka, the secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera, in 2023 in Tokyo. Tanaka, 44, was arrested on Sunday on the streets of Shinjuku Ward together with a woman in her 20s who is believed to have sought help from the group. | JIJI Gen also apologized over Tanaka's misconduct, saying he initially thought it was all due to a misunderstanding. 'Even if he had drugs in his possession, I assumed maybe he had confiscated them from someone seeking help and was trying to persuade them out of a sense of justice,' he said. Tanaka apologized to Gen during their meeting, during which he conveyed his intention to leave the group. Since its foundation in 2011, Nippon Kakekomidera has been providing support to women and children experiencing a range of issues such as domestic violence, poverty, and drug problems, according to its website. In recent years, it has also been involved in supporting young people who have run away from home and started living in the Kabukicho district, who are referred to as Toyoko Kids . It has also advocated against malicious host clubs that exploit women by trapping them in debt, then pushing them into prostitution to pay it off. Tanaka used to be a freelance writer who conducted interviews with Nippon Kakekomidera. He ended up joining the organization in 2021. A mother who frequently consulted the group about her daughter's addiction to host clubs and asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, expressed her shock at the news. 'It is just out of the blue and I have no words because I am too shocked,' she said. She said that she will wait for further information about the case, adding that she does not wish for Gen's activities at the group to be affected by Tanaka's arrest.
Tokyo Reported
19-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Secretary-general of Shinjuku org that assists troubled persons accused of possessing cocaine
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested the secretary-general of an organization in Shinjuku Ward that provides consulting services for troubled persons over the alleged possession of cocaine, reports NHK (May 19). On Sunday night, Yoshihide Tanaka, the 44-year-old secretary-general of Nippon Kakekomidera (Japan Refuge), is alleged to have been in possession of a bag of cocaine in his wallet in Shinjuku Ward. Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act, Tanaka admitted to the allegations. 'I kept it for my own use,' he said. Police also arrested a woman in her 20s who was with Tanaka for allegedly using cocaine. The cocaine was discovered when police officers questioned the two suspects. The arrested woman received consultations from Japan Refuge. Police are now investigating the possibility that Tanaka encouraged her to use the illegal drug. Yoshihide Tanaka (X) Poverty and drug abuse According to its website, Nippon Kakekomidera has been operating under its current name since 2011. Located in the Kabukicho red-light district, it provides advice on a wide range of issues including domestic violence, school refusal, poverty and drug abuse. It recently has also provided support to young people known as 'Toyoko Kids,' who congregate in Kabukicho. Hidemori Gen, the founder of Nippon Kakekomidera, told NHK, 'We are sorry for betraying the trust placed in the organization.'
