Is weed legal in Japan?

Is weed legal in Japan?　No, marijuana is illegal in Japan. Possession, sale, and cultivation of marijuana are all illegal and can result in severe legal penalties, including imprisonment and deportation for foreign nationals. Japan has some of the strictest drug laws in the world, and even small amounts of marijuana can result in significant legal consequences. Therefore, it is important to understand and respect Japan’s laws and regulations when visiting or living in the country.

If caught possessing marijuana in Japan, foreigners may be subject to immediate detention and deportation after serving a prison sentence. Japanese nationals face even harsher penalties, including lengthy prison sentences, large fines, and in some cases, the loss of their citizenship.

It’s also worth noting that the Japanese police have been known to use strict enforcement measures, such as random drug testing and thorough searches of people and luggage at airports and other entry points into the country. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of this when traveling to Japan and to avoid bringing any illegal drugs into the country.

Weed Arrests are made for possessing not for using

If you watch the news in Japan, you will notice that most marijuana-related arrests are for possession, not use.

The Japanese government is currently considering amending the Cannabis Control Law to allow the importation, manufacture, and use of medicines made from cannabis, which is prohibited in Japan, if their efficacy and safety for medical use have been confirmed and approved by a government agency.

Under the current Cannabis Control Law, “possession” of marijuana is subject to crackdown, but “use” is not penalized. In response to the recent increase in the number of marijuana cases, it is being considered to prohibit the “use” of marijuana as well, and to create a “crime of use” by amending the law.

In Japan, marijuana has long been used for purposes other than inhalation, including for hemp fibers such as shimenawa (sacred straw rope) and for Shinto rituals such as purification. In Japan, even after World War II, there has been no use crime for textile and Shinto ritual purposes for farmers.

Paul McCartney was arrested for possessing marijuana when arriving in Tokyo

Paul McCartney was famously arrested for possession of marijuana when he arrived in Japan in January 1980. At the time, Japan had some of the strictest drug laws in the world, and McCartney was caught with approximately 219 grams of marijuana in his luggage at Tokyo’s Narita Airport.

McCartney was detained for nine days in a Tokyo jail and faced the possibility of up to seven years in prison, but he was ultimately released and deported from Japan without being charged. The incident caused a great deal of controversy at the time and led to McCartney canceling the remainder of his tour in Japan.