The release of Sega’s Yakuza spin-off Judgement was delayed on the PS4 after one of the game’s actors was caught in a cocaine scandal. It’s notable that as a result of this, multiple projects involving the actor in Japan were shelved or edited to remove him, and his career has been derailed.
In this episode, Don, Marcus and Sachin discuss cocaine use and the effects of cocaine. We also talk about the harsh penalty faced by this actor for his perceived indiscretion, but when we compare it to how western society treats drug users, we find harsh attitudes here, also. Drug use is a social justice issue disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities.
We use the following sources:
Kotaku describes Japan’s harsh view on drugs (but are we any less harsh?) https://kotaku.com/why-japan-is-so-strict-about-drugs-1833286755
Kotaku reports on the actor’s arrest and subsequent fallout in terms of his projects https://kotaku.com/after-cocaine-arrest-sega-halts-sales-of-game-1833252934
Gaming the Mind 