Features
Aska Sentenced
Japanese pop superstar Aska, whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki, pleaded guilty to several counts of illegal drug possession earlier this month.
On Sept. 12 he was formally convicted and sentenced to three years in jail. Aska, 56, originally denied the allegations and denied reports of him being a drug addict.
Later he changed his mind and cooperated with police, saying that he had obtained the drugs from organized crime dealers. The police have since carried out a number of raids and arrests believed to have been based on information from Aska. It is not known if Aska will resume his music career anytime soon.