This week, news leaked out of Japan that Pierre Taki had been arrested for allegedly using cocaine, which violated Japan’s drug laws. As a result, Sega announced that it was temporarily halting sales of its Yakuza spin-off, Judgment — which recently released in Japan — for Taki’s involvement in the game. And now following in the footsteps of Sega, Square Enix has announced that it will release an update for Kingdom Hearts III in Japan to change the Japanese voice of Olaf, who appears in the game’s Frozen parts, and who is played by Taki.
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In case you missed it, Japan Times reported yesterday that Pierre Taki — whose real name is Masanori Taki — admitted to using a small amount of cocaine in Tokyo this week. It began when authorities were tipped off that Taki was in possession of the substance, prompting them to search the 51 year old’s home and car, and then arresting him a few hours later after his urine sample tested positive for cocaine.
At the moment of publishing, Taki is currently being held in a police station in Koto Ward, as police try and deduce where Taki got the cocaine, and how often he uses it.
For those that don’t know: possession or use of cocaine in Japan can land somebody up to seven years in prison. Meanwhile, culturally, drug usage is taken much more seriously in Japan than in the United States, which is why Sega pulled Judgment and Square Enix is erasing Taki from Kingdom Hearts III.
While Kingdom Hearts III will be updated to remove Taki’s lines as Olaf and replace them, there’s no word when said update will arrive. Taki is the voice of the character in the Japanese version of Frozen, so the authenticity of the character may take a hit as a result.
Kingdom Hearts III is available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. At the moment of publishing, there’s been no word of a Nintendo Switch or PC port. For more coverage on the popular action-adventure game, click here.
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