Japanese police investigated a record 6,832 individuals in cannabis-related cases in Japan in 2025, up 754 from 2024, police data revealed on April 2.
The National Police Agency said that people in their 20s and younger accounted for more than 70 per cent of the total. Social media is believed to play a role in how these younger generations gain access to the drug.
The largest proportion was people in their 20s, at 3,633, up 283. Next were 1,373 people under 20, up 245. Of those, 28 were junior high students and 315 were high school students.
Japan criminalised the use of cannabis under the revised Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act that took effect in December 2024, and 700 people were investigated under the law in 2025.
A police survey of 1,006 individuals investigated for potential law violations between November and December 2025 revealed that over 40 per cent of respondents in their 20s and younger had interacted with drug dealers online.
Many are believed to have come into contact with the dealers through social media platforms, such as X, and exchanged messages over encrypted messaging apps like Telegram, the police said.
Meanwhile, the total number of people investigated for drug-related offenses increased by 1,112 from 2024, reaching 14,574.
Of those, 2,124 were members or associates of yakuza crime syndicates and 1,887 were believed to be members of loosely organised criminal groups known as tokuryu. Foreign nationals accounted for 1,502 of those investigated. KYODO NEWS
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