TOKYO: Japanese actress Erika Sawajiri pleaded guilty at the beginning of her trial on a high-profile drug case at Tokyo District Court on Friday, after over 2,000 people lined up for only 19 gallery seats.

The prosecution sought a jail term of 18 months for her. The case was closed on the day, with the court set to hand down a ruling on Thursday.

Sawajiri, 33, is charged with possessing about 0.198 gram of synthetic drug MDMA in powder form, as well as a piece of paper and 0.601 gram of liquid containing another synthetic drug LSD at her home in Tokyo's Meguro Ward on Nov. 16 last year.

The Metropolitan Police Department searched her home when she returned that day from a nightclub in Shibuya Ward in the capital.

She tested negative for narcotics at the time but has told the police that she had been using drugs, including cannabis and cocaine, for over 10 years, according to investigative sources.

Sawajiri won the Japan Academy Film Prize in the newcomer-of-the-year category for her performance in the 2005 film "Pacchigi!"

JIJI Press