TOKYO — Japanese pop star Noriko Sakai was freed on bail Thursday ahead of her drugs trial next month in a scandal that has drawn massive media attention and destroyed the clean-cut image of the singer-actor. Sakai, 38, who has spent more than a month in detention for allegedly possessing and using illegal stimulants, was released on bail of five million yen (about 55,000 dollars) ahead of her trial from October 26, media reported. "To all who have supported Noriko Sakai, I am very sorry," the actress, dressed in black, said in a shaky voice after walking out of a Tokyo police station, bowing deeply to a crowd of tabloid reporters and TV crews. Several television station helicopters buzzed overhead then followed the car that took her away across Tokyo, airing live footage. Shedding tears at a press conference later, she said she had been too weak to beat her drug habit, vowing: "I will do my best to change, to be reborn." One of Sakai's aides said the devastated star would head to hospital immediately from the press conference to receive psychological help. Police arrested Sakai on August 8, a week after her husband, professional surfer Yuichi Takaso, 41, was taken into custody when police caught him with a bag of methamphetamines in Tokyo's Shibuya entertainment district. Takaso also faces trial next month. Media reports quoting police have said he had allegedly admitted to encouraging Sakai to use illegal drugs several years ago. A court accepted Sakai's request for bail on Monday, but she only emerged Thursday, apparently due to the intense media coverage. Sakai made her music debut in 1986 and has also appeared in high-rating TV dramas. She is popular in China, Taiwan and South Korea. Her fame and girl-next-door image have won her advertising contracts with carmaker Toyota, in government public awareness campaigns and as part of a 1993 celebrity-studded commercial against youth drug abuse. [AFP] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i read from somewhere else that she's been on drugs for at least 10 yrs? along w/ her bro & husband, sigh*... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
