TOKYO, Feb. 19 — Japanese customs authorities seized around 3,211 kg of illegal drugs at airports and seaports nationwide in 2025, up 15 percent from the previous year, recent government data showed.
The figure surpassed three tons for the first time in six years since 2019 to hit the second-biggest drug seizure on record, according to the Finance Ministry’s Customs and Tariff Bureau.
Of the total, a record 1,531 kg of cannabis were seized, up around 3.5-fold from the year before. By origin of shipments, the United States accounted for 43 percent of detected cannabis cases, followed by 27 percent from Thailand and 8 percent from Vietnam.
Among other illegal drugs, seizures of stimulants dropped 53 percent to 840 kg, while narcotics such as cocaine and MDMA rose 49 percent to 798 kg.
The ministry said that the influx of illegal drugs is extremely serious and it will continue to enforce strict border control measures.
The overall number of drug cases edged down 1 percent from a year earlier to 1,000. Of them, smuggling by passengers on aircraft climbed 29 percent to 370, on the back of an increase in inbound visitors, while those using international mail fell 22 percent to 428. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
