Taking a look at the global situation now, the general public in Japan sees cannabis as nothing short of the root of all evil. Which in turn means that when lawmakers decide to throw the book at you, you really cannot expect to get any support or sympathy from the public. Incredibly, if you are busted with even one joint in Japan, you could be looking at five years in prison with plenty of hard labour. First time offenders often get away with around six months and while international tourists don’t often find themselves in jail, they are routinely deported and banned from the country for life.