Two 25-year-old American women have been arrested in Japan after allegedly attempting to smuggle roughly $1 million worth of cannabis into the country hidden inside suitcases. The case highlights Japan's exceptionally strict drug laws, under which even minor cannabis possession can lead to arrest, prosecution and deportation, regardless of the substance's legal status elsewhere.

The pair flew into Tokyo's Haneda Airport from New York, reportedly carrying 35 small bags of dried cannabis weighing around 66 pounds (30kg), discovered after a customs officer grew suspicious during an inspection. One woman allegedly admitted taking the job for money and the chance of a free trip to Japan, while the other denied knowing the drugs were hidden in her luggage; both said they had been instructed by an unidentified man they had only communicated with online. They face charges under Japan's drugs and psychotropics control law, with smuggling cannabis for profit carrying penalties of up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to three million yen.