Three men from Hiroshima city, all in their early forties, were arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis on the island of Osaki Kamijima, off the coast of Takehara in Hiroshima Prefecture.[1] They are suspected of farming the plants in the mountainous interior of the island between June and August 2021.[1] Police began investigating after the landowner reported that the plot was being cultivated without permission.[1]

Officers seized around 60 cannabis plants from an area of about 130 square metres and are investigating how the men obtained them.[1] Police believe the men were growing the plants with intent to sell.[1] The report notes that cannabis prosecutions are rising in Japan, especially among younger people, which police link to misinformation spread on social media, and urges readers to understand the risks of dependency and effects on the body.[1]