SEGA announced that they will be halting all sales of Judgment (Judge Eyes) in Japan after actor Pierre Taki was arrested during a drug bust.
Pierre Taki, a member of techno-pop duo Denki Groove and the voice of snowman Olaf in the Japanese-language version of the hit Disney movie “Frozen,” was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of using cocaine, investigators said.
The 51-year-old, whose real name is Masanori Taki, has admitted to using a small quantity of cocaine in Tokyo and its vicinity earlier this week, according to a regional bureau of the health ministry’s narcotics control department.
Authorities searched Taki’s car and home in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward shortly after 6 p.m. on Tuesday based on several tip-offs. He was then arrested at around 11 p.m., after his urine sample tested positive for cocaine.
Early Wednesday morning, Taki was transferred to a police station in Koto Ward, where he is currently being detained. Investigators will check his cell phone to find out how he obtained the cocaine and how often he used it.
Possession or use of cocaine carries a prison sentence of up to seven years.
SEGA’s Japanese twitter account also deleted a recent tweet advertising the game and has since followed up stating that a decision on how to proceed is currently being discussed.
In regards to the western release later this year no official decision has yet been made but given the similar controversy surrounding the release of Yakuza 4 Remastered (where actor Hiroki Narimiya (the face and voice for Masayoshi Tanimura)) saw the actor get completely removed from the rerelease. Will update the story as more info is available.