Japan releases 'Emily in Paris' star after drug arrest

By AFP December 9, 2025 | 06:34 pm PT

Jeremy O. Harris attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. Photo by AP

U.S. playwright and "Emily in Paris" actor Jeremy O. Harris has been released three weeks after his arrest in Japan on suspicion of drug smuggling while prosecutors investigate, police said Wednesday.

Japan has some of the world's strictest drug laws, and possession of illegal narcotics can result in jail time. Prosecutors also have a very high conviction rate.

Known for his Tony-nominated "Slave Play", Harris was detained at Naha airport on Nov. 16, Okinawa police official Tetsuya Shimoji told AFP, confirming earlier local reports.

Customs officers found 0.78 grams (0.028 ounces) of a substance containing the stimulant MDMA concealed in the 36-year-old's tote bag, Shimoji said.

"He was released on Dec. 8 while we sent the case to the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office," Shimoji said.

A spokesman for the prosecutors office declined to comment to AFP on the case.

It was unclear whether Harris was allowed to leave Japan while the probe continues.

Harris arrived in the southern Okinawa region on a flight from Taiwan, where he had a layover after flying from Britain, according to local broadcaster RBC.

He came to Japan for tourism, the broadcaster said.

"Slave Play" earned a record-breaking 12 Tony nominations in 2018, but did not win any awards.

Harris also serves as a co-producer of HBO's popular series "Euphoria".