Sago (Japan)

When a celebrity is caught taking drugs in Japan, he or she will be fired by the talent agency. Those in TV and film business are extremely sensitive about drug-related issues. When the actress and singer Noriko Sakai was found taking drugs, her talent agency fired her and made a public apology. Prosecutors said her influence as a celebrity meant she should not be handled with leniency. The drug scandal cost her billions of yen in cancelled contracts and hindered her efforts to return to the entertainment industry after her probation ended.

Japanese singer and actress Noriko Sakai reacts during a news conference in Tokyo on Nov. 24, 2012, a day after she finished her three-year parole. Sakai, once hugely popular in Asia, was convicted of drug use in 2009. [Photo/IC]