Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaks out about Japan arresting 3 Vietnamese citizens for possessing 1 ton of dried marijuana

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang at a regular press conference on the afternoon of August 14. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

According to Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang, immediately after receiving information about the incident, implementing the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Vietnamese representative agencies in Japan immediately contacted local authorities to learn and verify information, and deploy appropriate citizen protection measures in accordance with Vietnamese regulations as well as local laws.

“Vietnam is determined to strictly handle acts of producing, trading, storing, and transporting drugs and is ready to cooperate on both bilateral and multilateral channels in crime prevention in general and drug crime prevention in particular,” the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson affirmed.

Previously, NHK , Nikkei and many local newspapers reported that Japan seized about 1 ton of dried marijuana in 200 cartons on a cargo ship that left Da Nang port in Vietnam and arrived at Tokyo port in June.

According to statistics, the amount of marijuana seized in this case is more than twice as much as the total of 452 kg of dried marijuana confiscated by police, drug control forces and other authorities across Japan in 2024, and is also the largest single seizure of illegal drugs in the country to date.

The Narcotics Control Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Health has arrested three Vietnamese nationals on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Law, suspected of colluding to smuggle marijuana for profit. Among them is a 51-year-old man residing in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The agency is also investigating the possibility that the case is linked to an international drug smuggling ring. According to investigators, the authorities tracked the marijuana shipment from Tokyo Port and seized it in the northern Kanto region.