Sega Stops Sales Of Yakuza Spinoff Judgment In Japan After Actor Arrested For Alleged Cocaine Use

In a strange and surprising round of news, Sega has announced that it has stopped physical shipments and digital sales of the Yakuza spinoff Judgment in Japan following the arrest of actor Pierre Taki.

The actor was arrested for reportedly using cocaine, which apparently violates Japan's drug control laws. An official news release from Sega, translated by Gematsu, states, "Sega has received the arrest reports and are currently confirming the facts, but for the time being, we will voluntarily refrain from shipments and digital sales of [Judgment], as well as from things like posting on the product's homepage. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause for customers, as well as the parties involved."

Judgment, which is called Judge Eyes in Japan, launched in Japan back in December. The game is scheduled to arrive in America and Europe this June on PS4, but there is no word yet if that's still the plan given the controversy surrounding Taki.

Taki plays Kyohei Hamura in Judgment. He's voiced by Fred Tatasciore (Soldier 76 in Overwatch and Xur in Destiny) in the English version of the game.

Taki is an actor and musician known for being a member of the band Denki Groove and the voice of snowman Olaf in the Japanese dubbing of Disney's Frozen.

According to Japan Times, the punishment for possessing or using cocaine in Japan is a prison sentence of up to seven years.

In Judgment you play as Takayuki Yagami, a detective who is looking into grisly crimes. Like the Yakuza series, it is set in Kamurocho, the fictional city modeled after Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

For more on Judgment, check out our extensive hands-on preview.