Producer Behind Pop Group XG Arrested for Cocaine Possession

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:14 JST, February 23, 2026

The producer behind popular group XG was arrested along with three others in Aichi Prefecture on Monday on suspicion of possessing cocaine, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Junho Sakai, who works under the name of Simon, was arrested along with a 39-year-old U.S. music producer and two other men on suspicious of violating the Narcotic Control Law by possessing a bag of the drug at a hotel room, according to the MPD.

Sakai, a 39-year-old resident of Meguro Ward, Tokyo, and the three others were staying at the hotel when the MPD searched their room late Sunday. The police discovered four bags of cocaine and a bag of dried cannabis.

According to the website of entertainment agency XGALX, Sakai started his career as a producer in 2013 under the name Jakops. XG, which consists of seven members, made its debut in 2022 and became the first group of Japanese performers to make it into Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart.