Sakai to study welfare at university

MAEBASHI, Gunma Pref. (Kyodo) Pop idol-turned-actress Noriko Sakai, who was convicted of stimulant drug use and possession, has been accepted at a university in Gunma Prefecture to study welfare, the university said Tuesday.

The 38-year-old has passed the entrance examination for the social work department at Souzou Gakuen University and has already completed admission procedures.

She will not attend classes and instead take the courses online, university officials said.

Sakai, who is now out of work, said during her recent Tokyo District Court trial that she wanted to study nursing care and promised never to use stimulant drugs again. The court sentenced her to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, on Monday.