NYT: Jeremy O. Harris Is Arrested in Japan on Suspicion of Smuggling Drugs- Page 6

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 10:32am

"Being sentenced, no, but someone rich and famous from outside of Japan having to fight the punitive actions (and hopefully coming out on top) is really going to be the only thing that ever moves the needle from those suffering under it on the inside. "

Paul McCartney was busted in Japan in 1980 I believe and spent a bunch of time alone in Japanese jail cell and he is a bigger name (lol) than Jeremy Harris. I think maximum sentence was around 7 years. In other words, Japan does not really care that much who you are.

Updated On: 12/10/25 at 10:32 AM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 10:34am

bump

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 10:36am

Zeppie2022 said: ""Being sentenced, no, but someone rich and famous from outside of Japan having to fight the punitive actions (and hopefully coming out on top) is really going to be the only thing that ever moves the needle from those suffering under it on the inside. "

Paul McCartney was busted in Japanin 1980 I believe and spent a bunch of time alone in Japanese jail cell and he is a bigger name(lol) than Jeremy Harris. I think maximum sentence was around 7 years. In other words, Japan does not really care that much who you are."

You're telling me Paul McCartney spend 7 years in a Japanese prison? Lol.

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 10:39am

"You're telling me Paul McCartney spend 7 years in a Japanese prison? Lol."

No, I told you he spent a bunch of time in jail cell (9 days) and the maximum sentence for his crime was 7 years. Usually, an icon like McCartney would have been released and paid major fine so it was at the time surprising he was in jail cell that long.

Updated On: 12/10/25 at 10:39 AM

[kdogg36]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 11:05am

joevitus said: "Because Jeremy O. Harris is a man overflowing with empathy and mercy and deserving of same?"

This thread is really not bringing out the best in people. I'll include myself in that, but I also include most of the rest of you, too.

[east side story]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 11:08am

Sometimes sh*tty things do in fact happen to sh*tty people. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 11:26am

kdogg36 said: "joevitus said: "Because Jeremy O. Harris is a man overflowing with empathy and mercy and deserving of same?"

This thread is really not bringing out the best in people. I'll include myself in that, but I also include most of the rest of you, too."

It surely isn't brining out the best in you, as you clearly haven't read my post on what happened--as opposed to my take on people's responses--yet you're passing a judgement on me.

Somehow you think a man who is highly toxic and abrassive deserves our emotional support. That's just kinda odd. 

Updated On: 12/10/25 at 11:26 AM

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 12:01pm

all this chatter on whether JOH sucks as a person REALLY is missing the point. the fact (and yes it seems a fact) that he is "toxic and abrasive" has no bearing on the harshness of Japanese drug policy or the wild stupidity of anyone waltzing to a border checkpoint with illegal substances on them. if this was a story about Audra McDonald getting thrown into a Japanese prison cell for brazenly trying to smuggle drugs into the country, it should not matter at all that shes a beloved icon and JOH is, well, not.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 12:03pm

Zeppie2022 said: ""Being sentenced, no, but someone rich and famous from outside of Japan having to fight the punitive actions (and hopefully coming out on top) is really going to be the only thing that ever moves the needle from those suffering under it on the inside. "

Paul McCartney was busted in Japanin 1980 I believe and spent a bunch of time alone in Japanese jail cell and he is a bigger name(lol) than Jeremy Harris. I think maximum sentence was around 7 years. In other words, Japan does not really care that much who you are."

McCartney was only held for just over a week and released without charges. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 12:06pm

joevitus said: "Somehow you think a man who is highly toxic and abrassive deserves our emotional support. That's just kinda odd."

So... you think that it's okay to potentially have someone thrown in prison for years because you personally think they're a douche? That's what's kind of odd. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 12:54pm

TheatreFan4 said: "joevitus said: "Somehow you think a man who is highly toxic and abrassive deserves our emotional support. That's just kinda odd."

So... you think that it's okay topotentially have someone thrown in prison for years because you personally think they're a douche? That's what's kind of odd."

It's kind of odd that you think I should have empathy for him, which is rather something different than whether I think it should be the law.

Updated On: 12/10/25 at 12:54 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 12:59pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "all this chatter on whether JOH sucks as a person REALLY is missing the point. the fact (and yes it seems a fact) that he is "toxic and abrasive" has no bearing on the harshness of Japanese drug policy or the wild stupidity of anyone waltzing to a border checkpoint with illegal substances on them. if this was a story about Audra McDonald getting thrown into a Japanese prison cell for brazenly trying to smuggle drugs into the country, it should not matter at all that shes a beloved icon and JOH is, well, not."

Doesn't miss the point at all. Don't really see anyone agreeing with the laws or how they are enforced. But to ask people to care for the specific well-being of a vicious person who loves to destroy others is a bit much. 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 2:14pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "all this chatter on whether JOH sucks as a person REALLY is missing the point. the fact (and yes it seems a fact) that he is "toxic and abrasive" has no bearing on the harshness of Japanese drug policy or the wild stupidity of anyone waltzing to a border checkpoint with illegal substances on them. if this was a story about Audra McDonald getting thrown into a Japanese prison cell for brazenly trying to smuggle drugs into the country, it should not matter at all that shes a beloved icon and JOH is, well, not."

Some of us - not all, but many - can be of two minds. Yes the laws are awful. Yes, so is he. Glad he's free. But he still deserves the public lashing.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 2:25pm

Countries have the right to decide what their drug policies are. Though their culture can look repressive from an American perspective, Japan is a democracy -- not some authoritarian state -- and any policy reform should be entrusted to the Japanese people to pursue as they see fit. The fact that this policy has existed for over half a century with minimal calls for reform is an indication that most Japanese support it. This may be hard to understand from our American perspective, but Americans are often guilty of enthnocentric thinking. As Kad mentioned, Japanese drug policy arose out of historic and cultural factors that are specific to them: a post-WWII amphetamine crisis that wrought a lot of havoc, the threat of the yakuza, cultural stigma around drug use, etc. From what I've heard from Japanese people, they see their zero-tolerance policy as an acceptable trade-off compared to the problems caused by a more liberal drug policy. 

When you go to another country, show respect to that country's people. (And if you don't support the policies or culture of a given country, then don't support them with your tourism money.) Flouting the rules that the Japanese people are largely supportive of shows a basic contempt for their culture and customs and, by extension, the people. 

Updated On: 12/10/25 at 02:25 PM

[Zeppie2022]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 2:27pm

"McCartney was only held for just over a week and released without charges. "

Japanese officials dropped charges because they thought 9 days in jail plus the cancellations of his (Wings) tour in Japan were enough punishment.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 4:06pm

It’s very 2025 in America to tell others how they should feel about something or someone. 😂 

[Ke3]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 6:24pm

It's remarkable to me that you can't really cuss on this board but most of this thread is allowed to exist. LOL.

 

[joevitus]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 6:55pm

Ke3 said: "It's remarkable to me that you can't really cuss on this board but most of this thread is allowed to exist. LOL.

"

Oh, the humanity!

[chewy5000]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 9:33pm

But does it still censor the word "C****nay"?

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/10/25 at 10:14pm

We just don't want to watch the inevitable, & true to form, half baked play he's going to write about the situation.