Kyodo via Japan Today: Convicts suspected of drinking alcohol, smoking in Miyagi prison
Convicts incarcerated at Miyagi prison in Sendai are suspected of having drunk alcohol and smoked cigarettes as well as used cell phones while in jail over a period of several years, local correctional officials and informed sources said Wednesday. The Justice Ministry's Sendai regional correction headquarters is conducting an internal investigation into the case, suspecting that a number of prison staff may have allowed the banned items to be brought into the prison in northeastern Japan, the officials said.