Japan
The pattern of drug use in Japan shows that crystalline methamphetamine remains the number one drug of concern. However, for the first time since 2003, authorities noted an increasing trend in its use. While an increasing trend in ecstasy had been previously identified (2003-2006), its use has been stable in 2008.
Cannabis, the second most common drug of use for 2008, showed a declining trend in 2008 - the only decrease reported since 2003. Heroin remains the sixth most common drug of use and appears to have remained relatively stable between 2003 and 2008.
Arrest, seizure and price data
Overall, arrests in Japan have been on a decline since 2000. The number of arrests for stimulant-related offences, primarily involving crystalline methamphetamine, have declined sharply since 2000, down by 42% by 2008 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2008; National Police Agency, 2009). According to the classification of those arrested for stimulant-related crimes by specific charge, ‘use’ and ‘possession’ account for more than 90% of arrestees in stimulant drug category.
Cannabis-related arrests have more than doubled over the past nine years with 1,224 arrests being recorded in 2000 compared to 2,758 in 2008 (Table 47). While ecstasy-related arrests increased sharply during the early part of the decade, peaking in 2004 with 450 arrests, and generally declining ever since.
Seizures of methamphetamine are shown in Figure 58. With the exception of tonnage-level seizures reported in 1999 and 2000, seizures of methamphetamine have remained generally below 500 kg. The seizure volume for methamphetamine was 399 kg in 2008, considerably higher than the 123 kg seized in 2005 and the 144 kg in 2006. In 2008 the fourth largest single crystalline methamphetamine seizure in Japanese history was made. In November 2008, 332 kg of crystal methamphetamine hidden in 599 bags labelled as Chinese tea were seized from a Sierre Leone registered ship in Fukuoka prefecture. Indonesian and Japanese nationals were arrested.
The seizure volume of ecstasy increased since 2000 and peaked in 2007, reaching a record level with 1,278,354 tablets, before declining in 2008. In August 2008, the largest amount ever smuggled in baggage was seized in Japan and an Israeli national suspected of smuggling 90,000 MDMA pills from the Netherlands, was apprehended (Japanese Customs, 2008).
The seizure of cannabis herb fluctuates between 230 and 840 kg annually, while cannabis resin seizures in 2008 were at the lowst levels since 2000 (33.4 kg). Although the quantity of heroin seized has been quite small, 1.4 tons of the heroin precursor, acetic anhydride, was seized at Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, in February 2009. A Pakistani national was charged with trying to export the chemical compound to Afghanistan without authorisation. Earlier, and in a likely related incident, 0.9 ton of acetic anhydride was seized at the port, also involving a Pakistani national.
According to the National Police Agency, domestic crime syndicates are dominated by Japanese organized crime (known as the Boryokudan) - accounting for 53% of ‘profit-oriented’ methamphetamine arrests in 2008 - and Iranian drug trafficking organizations with 12%, a figure that has nearly doubled since 2004 (National Police Agency Japan, 2009).
A 2007 Government survey of people arrested by the Narcotics Control Departments across the country concerning illicit drug prices in Japan, showed some fluctuations in drug price, but showed generally ongoing high prices for crystalline methamphetamine (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2008). The price for 1 gram peaked between July and December 2006 at 100,000 yen, dropping through the first half of 2007 to 80,000 yen, but still considerably higher than 2005 level of 55,000 yen per gram, making Japan one of the most lucrative methamphetamine markets in the world (UNODC, 2009).
