9/19/2005

Shabu (シャブ) aka speed is the most popular stimulant ( 興奮剤) in Japan

Ex-lawmaker held after drug bust
NAGOYA—-A former Lower House lawmaker of main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) and two of his closest associates were arrested Sunday on suspicion of possessing stimulant drugs.
Police said Kenji Kobayashi, 41, his secretary Koshi Ando, 41, as well as his former secretary Masaharu Saeki, 40, have all admitted to being long-time drug users….Kobayashi, who ran unsuccessfully in the Sept. 11 Lower House election in the Aichi No. 7 constituency, likely used the stimulant throughout the campaign. …more….

People outside Japan always have the mistaken idea Japan does not have a drug problem. Actually stimulant abuse has been as high as 10% of the population in post-war Japan. The Japanese government issued various stimulants to factory workers during WWII and afterwards people continued to use them. There’s still a major trade in stimulants and the police have little interest in stopping it since they are often users themselves and without stimulants Japan would cease to function—-On average, Japanese sleep less than 6 hours a night and most look like they are sleepwalking through the day.