TOKYO (TR) – Cocaine-related arrests in the capital reached a new high last year as use among young persons surged. This demand is spurring smugglers, a trend that is not being ignored by law enforcement, reports Fuji News Network (Jan. 1)
The number of people arrested for cocaine use by Tokyo Metropolitan Police has hovered around 100 over the past decade. But the figure has risen significantly over the past two years.
In 2024, the number of arrests rapidly rose to approximately 270. For the first 11 months of last year, it had already reached a record high of approximately 350.
Of that latter figure, approximately 230 were aged under 20, indicating increased usage by young people.
In years past, foreigners represented the majority of the suspects. However, Japanese users were the majority in 2024, representing approximately 270 of those arrested. As well, approximately 200 were first-time offenders.
As of the end of last November, the number of arrests for cocaine-related crimes had reached a record high of approximately 350 (X)Japan as potential target
As the number of cocaine arrests has increased, so has the amount of cocaine smuggled into country. According to Tokyo Customs, which has jurisdiction over Haneda and Narita airports, seizures in 2025 are expected to exceed 100 kilograms, more than double last year’s figure and a new record.
Cocaine couriers posing as tourists enter the country after swallowing cocaine wrapped in plastic wrap or other materials in order to hiding the contraband inside their bodies. Most of these couriers are from Brazil, where they receive instructions for illegal part-time work in exchange for a commission.
A senior official at Tokyo Customs pointed out, “The concentration of such smuggling cases over a period of about six months suggests that smuggling organizations may have been targeting Japan.”
Japan as potential target
However, cocaine is not just a threat to Japan. According to a 2025 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the number of global cocaine users in 2023 was estimated at 25 million, and illegal production reached 3,708 tons, both record highs.
While the United States and Europe are the primary cocaine consumers, seizures in Asia have also been increasing in recent years. The amount of cocaine seized in Asia increased fivefold between 2013 and 2023, rendering the region as a key cocaine destination and transit point for smuggling.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police is upping enforcement measures.
Yoshio Kawachi, chief of the department’s Drug and Firearms Control Division, expressed concern about the increasing demand for cocaine. “We have received information that the amount of cocaine being illegally produced in South America is on the rise,” he said. “This, coupled with the sharp increase in arrests of young people in Japan, raises concerns that Japan is a growing target for drug cartels. Law enforcement will further strengthen its crackdown on abusers, cooperate with relevant agencies to implement border control measures, and promote public awareness activities for Tokyo residents and the nation as a whole.”
In recent years, the ease with which drugs can be obtained via social media has made them more accessible to young people, leading to a diminished awareness of their dangers.
To prevent young people from ruining their lives through fleeting interest or temptation, it is urgent to raise awareness of the dangers and take measures to curb drug distribution, Kawachi said.
AloJapan.com