Paul McCartney arrested in Japan 1980 Full rare video

January 16, 1980: Paul McCartney arrested and jailed in Japan on drugs charges
Former Beatle Paul McCartney was arrested and jailed after customs officials found eight ounces of marijuana among his belongings on arrival at Tokyo airport.

he musician had landed at Tokyo’s Narita airport with the rest of his band, Wings, his wife Linda and their four children prior to a short tour of the country when the drugs were found in his suitcase.

Customs officials discovered nearly eight ounces of the drug in McCartney’s belongings, at a time when possession of that amount could be punished with a sentence of seven years’ hard labour.

He was arrested, handcuffed and questioned for an hour by narcotics officers, who then transferred him to the local jail, while his family and band members were placed in a hotel. Japanese authorities held him there while they decided what to do with him.
McCartney had been a long-term user of marijuana and vocal advocate of the legalisation of the drug, donating to campaigns that fought for its decriminalisation.

After nine days, he was finally released without charge and deported to England. The 11 concerts that Wings were expected to play were cancelled, leading to a compensation bill of £1 million for the musician.
After the 1980 bust in Japan, McCartney canceled all the group's scheduled dates and in May released McCartney II, his first solo album in a decade.

Wings recorded sporadically in 1980, putting finishing touches on a still-unreleased album of outtakes titled Cold Cuts, as well as holding two sets of rehearsals in July and October for an album which was to be produced by the Beatles' producer George Martin. To the group's dismay, when McCartney and Martin began the sessions that fall for the Tug Of War album, McCartney was recording as a solo act.

Wings were officially disbanded following co-founder Denny Laine's departure in April 1981. McCartney returned to Japan on his own in 1990, 1993, 2002, 2013, 2015, and 2017.