Nova in the news

6 English-language teachers at Nova held for alleged drug possession

TOKYO — Six teachers of English at Nova Co's language schools in Saitama Prefecture were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of possessing cocaine and cannabis. According to the police, Errin Valentine, 32, another teacher at Nova and an American, who was arrested last November for possessing cocaine in Tokyo, has told investigators he bought the drug at his colleagues' request, leading to the arrest of the six.

Adam Renwick, a 36-year-old Australian living in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, and five other foreign nationals are suspected of possessing some 1.5 grams of cocaine and some 8.2 grams of cannabis on Nov. 19 in Tokyo's Roppongi area, the police said. The six were teaching English at six branch schools of Nova in Saitama Prefecture. Valentine, who is charged with drug control law violations, had been soliciting others for drug purchases through emails sent over cell phones, the police said.

Wow! Six Nova teachers charged for drug possession and I am very happy to say that none of them are me! You don't need to worry too much about me. I'm so far removed from the drug scene that my lack of 'drug knowledge' is embarrassing. I don't even know what 1.5 grams of cocaine or marijuana would even look like!

Couple of interesting things of note. If you are a criminal in Japan then you should be very afraid of the Japanese justice system. Rights are a foreign concept apparently. You'll notice that the main guy was arrested back in November. It is now January. That means that he had been rotting away in a Japanese cell for a good three months before he caved and snitched on his friends. I suppose now they'll give him a better sentence.

Secondly, the other six teachers have been arrested for suspicion of possession of drugs on Nov. 19-is that an actual crime? Being suspected of possessing a small amount of drugs on a certain date three months ago? How in the world could then even prove such a charge?