As you may have noticed we have been following the Noriko Sakai trial, and today we found out another bit of news about it you may be interested in if you have been following too. According to Cartoon Leap Sakai has in fact been sentenced to the 18 months in prison that the prosecution sought for her. The sentence is suspended for three years, but it could worsen. From the trial:

When the judge told Sakai, “If you commit another crime, then the suspension of your sentence will be annulled, and a further penalty will be handed down on top of this 18-month sentence,” and added, “Your life from now onwards is extremely important,” the actress nodded.

Sakai was also quoted as telling the court: “I always have a sense of regret and self-searching, wondering why I couldn’t stop using them.” It sounds sad, but I have no doubt she'll learn a titanic lesson from all this. It's interesting to notice the difference between how the Japanese handle a celebrity's drug use and address it in the news and how America does it. The Japanese take a crisp, harsh approach, while the US seem to judge less and forget more quickly. Which approach do you prefer, and why?