Daigoro busted

[Peter Larson]

Normally I think I'm not for posting scandalous stories but I just 
thought this was weird:

*Smuggled gun puts ex-actor in prison*

OSAKA (Kyodo) A former child actor known for his role in a popular 
samurai film in the 1970s was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison 
for smuggling a handgun into Japan from Thailand.

The ruling handed down against 36-year-old Akihiro Tomikawa by the Tokyo 
District Court fell short of the prosecutors' demand by one year. He 
faced charges including violation of the Firearm and Sword Control Law.

Tomikawa played Daigoro, son of the leading character in the film 
adaptation of "Kozure Okami" ("Lone Wolf and Cub"), a samurai television 
series.

Tomikawa procured the gun in Thailand at the request of a woman who was 
a student at the Nagoya University of Arts at the time.

The woman has been given a suspended term in connection with the case.

Tomikawa obtained the handgun in Thailand in June after receiving a 
request from the woman via the Internet.

The two conspired to smuggle the gun and four bullets inside a computer 
case and send them by courier from Kansai International Airport in Osaka 
Prefecture to the woman's home in Nagoya on June 22, the ruling said.

As remuneration, Tomikawa received about 150,000 yen, the ruling said. 
Tomikawa is a collector of military equipment.

The woman reportedly told investigators that she wanted to obtain a 
handgun to commit suicide.