Is there much drug use in Japan?

It's virtually impossible to gauge from this figure how many people in the country are currently struggling with an addiction, but the health ministry says the number of arrests ... “When you are first in prison, you think you're never going to use drugs again because you never want to go back there,” Miura said. read more

Only among celebrities. Drug use is a taboo in Japanese society, but it is common for actors, musicians, comedians, and the gazillion “talentos” that you see on Japanese TV. If they constantly act like they’re high on speed and coke, they probably are. Also, it is quite common for celebrities to get busted using drugs. read more

The hard facts on drugs • About 50 percent of all drug offenders in Japan are involved in a gang. • 1.6 percent of the Japanese population have tried drugs at least once in their life. • 41.9 percent of Americans have tried marijuana at least once in their life, compared to 1.2 percent of the Japanese population. read more