Shunichiro Sato, a 26-year-old member of the Japan men’s national volleyball team, was arrested on suspicion of possessing dried cannabis this week [1].
The arrest removes a key athlete from the national roster during a critical preparation window for several major international competitions.
Police arrested Sato around 9:30 a.m. at a Japan Volleyball Association training camp in Tokyo's Kita Ward [1]. The arrest followed an incident at a pachinko parlour in the city's Itabashi Ward [2].
According to reports, a staff member at the parlour discovered a black shoulder bag that Sato had left behind [2]. The staff member reported finding dried plant material inside the bag before 5 p.m. on the evening prior to the arrest [2]. Laboratory analysis subsequently identified the material as cannabis, which prompted the police action [1, 2].
The Japan Volleyball Association responded to the incident by stripping Sato of his national team registration. Kunihiro Kokubu, the association's executive director, said he expressed regret over the timing of the arrest given the upcoming schedule.
"Since the Nations League is about to start, followed by the Asian Championships and the Asian Games, I find it very regrettable that this has happened on the starting day toward those events," Kokubu said [1, 2].
Sato's removal from the squad comes as the team prepares for these high-stakes tournaments. The association has not provided further details regarding the player's legal status or potential future with the sport.
“Shunichiro Sato was stripped of his national team registration”
Japan maintains some of the strictest drug laws in the world, where possession of even small amounts of cannabis can lead to severe legal penalties and immediate professional termination. The swift removal of Sato from the national team reflects the high social and professional cost of drug-related offenses in Japanese athletics, especially during the lead-up to major regional and global competitions.
