Sega will edit the voice and character model for Kyohei Hamura (pictured) in the western release of Judgment, after the character’s actor Pierre Taki was arrested for illegal drug use.
Taki was detained by investigators earlier this month on suspicion of possessing and using cocaine, and eventually admitted to using a small amount of the drug.
The controversy initially prompted Sega to pull Judgment — which is a Yakuza spin-off — from sale in Japan. Rather than doing the same in the West, the publisher has instead opted to remove Taki from the game before it launches on June 25.
Sega has also temporarily pulled all screenshots and trailers featuring Taki’s character Hamura from its official channels, and will release updated materials at a later date.
If you’re baffled as to why Sega has taken such a hard line stance, drug laws in Japan are still incredibly strict compared to the rest of the world, and public figures caught using illegal substances are often ostracized.