Overview
- Tokyo police arrested 26-year-old Sato Shunichiro on May 28 after a small amount of suspected cannabis was found in a bag at an Itabashi pachinko parlor the evening of May 27.
- The Japan Volleyball Association removed Sato from this season’s national-team registration on May 28 as investigators moved to question him and trace supply routes.
- Investigators searched a room Sato used during a national-team training camp and are examining how he obtained the suspected drugs and whether others were involved.
- Sato has told investigators that he smoked marijuana in the United States in May, a detail reported on May 29 that police are verifying as part of the probe.
- Officials say the case fits a recent pattern of drug incidents involving young athletes and rising drug arrests among people under 30, prompting calls for better prevention, monitoring, and athlete support.