Jenson Button’s model ex-wife Jessica Michibata has been arrested in Japan ‘for possession of MDMA’
- She was reportedly arrested after a package containing MDMA was delivered to her Tokyo hotel
- The 38-year-old denies the allegations, local media report
The ex-wife of former F1 driver Jenson Button, model Jessica Michibata, has been arrested for alleged possession of MDMA in Japan.
The 38-year-old was arrested after a package containing MDMA was ordered from the hotel where she was staying with an acquaintance, people familiar with the investigation said, according to the Japanese times.
Michibata denies the allegations, according to local media reports.
A customs officer reportedly found the synthetic drug hidden in an overseas package to Japan, with Michibata’s Tokyo hotel as the shipping address.
Investigators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raided the hotel and arrested the two individuals, Michibata and her acquaintance.
Jessica Michibata (right) first met F1 driver Jenson Button (left) in 2008 in a Tokyo hotel bar and they started dating eight months later. They married in 2014 and divorced a year later
Michibata, 38, (pictured) was arrested following suspicions she ordered MDMA while staying at a Tokyo hotel with an acquaintance, people familiar with the investigation said Monday
Michibata currently lives in the United States for her work as a model.
She was born in Japan and was visiting Tokyo at the time of her arrest.
A statement from her modeling agency Revive on Monday said:
“We apologize to everyone for the concern the reports from Jessica Michibata, who belongs to our company, have caused.
“We are unable to contact Michibata directly at this time and we are collecting information to confirm the facts.
“As the incident is being investigated by the police, we will not be disclosing any further details.”
Michibata first met F1 driver Jenson Button in 2008 in a Tokyo hotel bar and they started dating eight months later.
They split briefly in 2011 before he proposed on Valentine’s Day 2014 with a ring worth £250,000.
They tied the knot in a lavish Hawaiian ceremony in December 2014.
They called off their relationship just a year later, but say they remain on good terms.
She was later linked to American film producer Ken Kao after attending a film premiere with him in 2017. Later that year, she welcomed her daughter Joy, whose father long remained a history.
The relationship with Ken Kao, who co-founded a production company with Hollywood star Ryan Gosling, lasted until 2021, when they reportedly went their separate ways.
Kao is the only son of multi-billionaire Min Kao, a Kansas-based tech mogul who co-founded GPS giant Garmin.