>>47193179>Sakai's first court date was held on October 26, 2009 – drawing a crowd of 6,600 people outside of a Tokyo courthouse.[21] Sakai pleaded guilty to drug use. Prosecutors suggested eighteen months in prison for Sakai, but on November 9, 2009, the court delayed the jail term to November 9, 2012, as long as she stays crime-free.[22] Sakai attended the University of Creation; Art, Music & Social Work in Takasaki, Gunma, where she received her degree in welfare and nursing care in March 2013.[23]The drug scandal cost Sakai billions of yen in canceled contracts and other endeavors she was involved in prior.[24] On August 6, 2009, car manufacturer Toyota reportedly stopped showing a commercial, featuring Sakai, on its web site.[25] Sakai's clothing line "PP rikorino", consisting of over 150 items were pulled from stores throughout Japan.[24]
During the first week of the scandal, Apple Inc's iTunes Store rated Sakai's 1995 song "Aoi Usagi" the number one downloaded song, based on an eleven-day period.[26] Other Sakai songs among the top 100 downloads include Kagami no Doresu (17th) and Sekaiju no Dare Yori Kitto (18th). However, on August 9, 2009, Victor Entertainment, the distributor of Sakai's works, withdrew Sakai's CDs from stores, and suspended downloads of her songs.[27] Online stores such as Amazon Japan still sell Sakai's CDs and DVDs, despite increasing the selling prices as a result of Victor's move.
Immediately after the indictment announcement, Sun Music, the talent agency who has represented Sakai since 1986, suspended her contract. Sun Music president Masahisa Aizawa said, "We apologize from the bottom of our hearts for the alleged misdeeds of Ms. Sakai."[28] Sun Music removed Sakai's official web site from its web server. Soon after Aizawa's announcement, he was demoted to vice-president. Chairman Hideyoshi Aizawa removed himself from the position, and is now an adviser to Sun Music, with no right to represent the firm.[29]
