Updates to Sakai Noriko's case - 7 Aug 09

Frankly speaking, this is very shocking. From someone who was feared to have been innocently implicated by her husband's actions to one who's equally guilty, nobody could have guessed that Sakai Noriko's disappearance had to do with her using stimulants as well. I just feel sorry for her son. His father is arrested while the mother is now a fugitive...Unless she turns up voluntarily to explain what happened, I think the whole case will be to her detriment if she gets caught.

The Organized Crimes Unit 5th Section has obtained an arrest warrant for Sakai Noriko on the suspicion of possessing stimulants. Her husband Takasou Yuichi was arrested on the same charge in the early hours of 3 August but Sakai has been missing since then. The decision to list Sakai as a wanted person was based on the discovery of some stimulants in her home and Takasou's statement that Sakai was also using stimulants.

On the morning when Takasou was stopped for questioning, he called Sakai to come to the scene. She arrived with a male friend and tried to persuade the police to let her husband off. The police had searched Takasou's body and wanted to check a bulge in his pants. Sakai claimed that it was some medicine meant for the lower body but the police insisted on checking it. It was then they found the stimulants hidden inside Takasou's underwear. Sakai was asked to go to the Shibuya Police Station with the police and her husband but she refused to do so. In addition, she also rejected a request to do a urine test as well.

Although it was thought that Sakai had disappeared with her son, it turned out that she had left him in the care of a friend as confirmed yesterday evening. She had even called her friend on 5 August asking to speak to her son. However, she did not say where she was. According to the police, Sakai had withdrawn a few hundred thousand yen through the ATM and this could be used as funds during her runaway.

In response to this sudden twist of events, Sakai's agency, Sun Music held a press conference in the afternoon of 7 Aug swarmed by at least 100 members of the media where the president said that they had not received any updates from the police. They were still hoping for Sakai to come forward and explain herself. In addition, they mentioned that they were completely unaware of the fact that Sakai herself is also a drug abuser. When bombarded with questions as to whether the agency was feigning ignorance about Sakai's whereabouts and whether they are planning to fire her, the president ended the press conference hurriedly in less than 10 minutes.

Companies who are working with Sakai or have CM deals with her are also undecided as to what they should do next. Her record label, Victor Entertainment is discussing whether to cancel the release of her best hits album "Golden Best" due to be released on 16 September. The album lists 19 of her past hits and preorders of the CD are already made through Internet shopping sites. As for her previous 14 singles and 27 albums, the company is still deciding to stop sales of all her CD releases. The company spokesman said that the company was actually worrying about her safety but her becoming a fugitive was something they had not expected at all.

As for companies who have CM deals with her e.g. Toyota, they are still deciding what to do with their CM contracts with Sakai. Although the CMs have either been pulled off screens or ended their runs, the contracts are still in effect.