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The story
Former KAT-TUN member Juri Tanaka (40), who served a two-year-eight-month prison sentence for using and possessing stimulant drugs, reportedly completed his sentence on September 23, 2026. He had been out on parole since February 25 of that year, and it has also come to light that he earned a “music therapist” certification while incarcerated. Reactions on 5channel to the former idol’s reintegration into society — after three prior arrests — were mixed: some cheered him on with messages like “hang in there, just don’t touch drugs again,” while others voiced concern over the high recidivism rate for drug offenses, and some questioned how meaningful the certification itself really is.
“I was released on February 25, 2026. While you’re inside (prison), all you can think about, over and over, is wanting to get out — so every single day feels incredibly long. Since getting out, though, the days fly by five or six times faster.”
So says former KAT-TUN member Juri Tanaka (40). In the 2000s, he was one of the top idols at Johnny & Associates (as the agency was then known), driving legions of fans wild.
After his exclusive contract with the agency was terminated in 2013, he went independent. He went on to pursue an artist career, first with the rock band “INKT,” and later as a rapper. At the same time, though, he has been arrested three times over drug use. In December 2023, he received a finalized sentence of two years and eight months in prison for using and possessing stimulant drugs, effectively becoming “a man behind bars.”
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Meth isn't good for you, you know
Wait, isn't he also one of the "dark listeners" (a nickname for a hardcore fan/listener clique)?
And don't touch the drugs again, okay?
like "thanks for your hard work in there!"
He had it good back in the day — nowadays if you've got name recognition you can make decent money just streaming, and he's probably still got a few die-hard old fans left too
I actually liked his role in Shigotonin.
He played the "kills you with a smile" assassin archetype — a flavor the Hissatsu franchise hadn't had since the Shigotonin boom era — and it brought back that early-series feel
a keyboardist and a singing instructor visit nursing homes
and sing along with the elderly residents
Who'd want to get anywhere near a guy like this, too scary
but he used to look sharp standing in the back next to Taguchi —
his face has really gone downhill
Yeah, true
Seems like he's into streaming too
Well, birds of a feather, I guess
Janpoke Saito
Juri Tanaka
Takako Uehara
Shin Kasei Taishu
TDN
Are the Japanese police just stupid or something?
At 40 there's no way any fans from his own generation are still around
this isn't the old Johnny's empire anymore
Recidivism for drug offenses seems to run pretty high even after release…
or it just ends up in your pocket without you noticing and that's how it starts back up again, apparently
Oh, so you get a free sample!
I guess just the one time wouldn't hurt, right?
Why's that, I wonder?
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Japan’s “music therapist” credential is not a national qualification — it’s a certification issued by private organizations such as the Japanese Music Therapy Association, and is generally considered easier to obtain than an official public qualification. That institutional backdrop is exactly why some on the thread said “that kind of certification is just there so the parent organization can cash in.” Tanaka has been arrested three times over stimulant-drug incidents, and drug offenses are noted to carry a higher recidivism rate than other categories of crime. It’s the weight of that history that split the thread’s reactions between “hang in there” encouragement and worry that he might reoffend. It’s also worth noting that while the fact of the certification has been reported, the coverage doesn’t specify exactly how he plans to carry out music activities or therapist work going forward.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Ex-KAT-TUN’s Juri Tanaka Completes Sentence on September 23 — Turns Out He Earned a “Music Therapist” Certification After Release! Also Resuming Music Activities in Earnest.”
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