Powered by Max Banner Ads 

Noriko Sakai

TOKYO – JAPANESE pop star Noriko Sakai was arrested on Saturday on a drug possession charge, news reports said.

Sakai, who disappeared after her surfer husband was arrested for possessing illegal stimulants earlier this week, surrendered herself to a Tokyo police station on Saturday, public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News said.

The 38-year-old singer, who was also popular in Taiwan and China and known for her girl-next-door image, largely admitted the allegations, NHK reported, quoting police sources.

Media reports have said her Tokyo home was raided after the arrest of her husband Yuichi Takaso, 41, and that police found a small amount of illegal drugs there.

The pop star vanished from public view and had not answered phone calls or emails since Monday when police had asked her to come in for questioning.

Sakai, who made her music debut in 1986, is popular both as a singer and an actress and is also marketing her own line of clothes.

She recently appeared in a promotional video by Japan’s Supreme Court to raise public awareness of a new jury system that was introduced this week.

Immediate confirmation of her reported arrest was not available. — AFP