Sister of Jenson Button’s ex-wife says she is ‘very worried’ after sibling was arrested
The sister of Jenson Button’s ex-wife has said she is “very concerned” after her model sibling was arrested in Japan over the weekend on suspicion of possessing MDMA.
Jessica Michibata, 38, was detained after a package containing the drug was delivered to a hotel where she was staying with an acquaintance in Tokyo, people familiar with the investigation told the Japan Times earlier this week.
While Jessica – who was married to the Formula 1 legend from 2014 to 2015 – has yet to publicly comment on her arrest, her sister Angelica Michibata – who is also a model – took to Instagram to express her concern.
In a post accompanied by a photo of a sunset, she apologized on behalf of her sister for “making a fuss” and shared her concerns about the coverage.
“I’m sorry my sister made a fuss this time,” Angelica wrote on Tuesday.
Jenson Button’s ex-wife, Jessica Michibata (pictured), 38, was detained after a package containing the drug was delivered to a hotel where she was staying with an acquaintance, people familiar with the investigation told the Japan Authority earlier this week. Times.
While Jessica (left) – who was married to the Formula 1 legend (right) from 2014 to 2015 – has yet to publicly comment on her arrest, her sister Angelica Michibata – who is also a model – took to Instagram on the day of the reports to express her concern
“I am very concerned, but for now I will leave it to the lawyer and the police, and I trust her and wait for the results.
“And there is no change in protecting and supporting the family,” she added.
Michibata denies the allegations, according to local media reports.
A customs officer reportedly found the synthetic drugs 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 Michibata and her acquaintance on March 18 (Saturday), reports said.
According to some local reports, the acquaintance was a man whom Michibata is dating.
Japan’s YTV news interviewed Toru Hirohata, former head of the country’s Narcotics Control Department, about the case.
He said the arrests were likely made through a “controlled delivery investigation,” which would suggest customs officials discovered the drugs in the luggage and replaced them with a counterfeit.
Information is then shared with the police, who track the package. When it is delivered to its final destination, the suspects will be arrested red-handed, Mr Hirohata said.
YTV explained that the drugs are replaced with counterfeits to prevent the real substance from entering the civilian population, which customs officials would be guilty of if they found them and had them delivered anyway.
Jessica Michibata first met F1 driver Jenson Button in 2008 at a hotel bar in Tokyo and they started dating eight months later. Pictured: Jenson Button and then-girlfriend Jessica Michibata celebrate after he won the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix on October 9, 2011
The couple briefly split in 2011 before proposing 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
Pictured: Angelica Michibata, Jessica’s sister, wrote on Instagram on Tuesday, “I’m sorry my sister made a fuss this time. I am very concerned, but for now I leave it to the lawyer and the police, and I trust her and wait for the results’
Michibata currently resides 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.
In her most recent post on Instagram, from three weeks ago, the model can be seen in a video undergoing an experimental medical treatment.
She explained in her post that the ‘Kambo’ treatment involves introducing the ‘poison from frogs that live in the Amazon in South America’ into the body. The video showed her meditating with two other women, one of whom was breathing through a pipe.
“As I dive deep into healing myself, it becomes necessary to heal my physical body as well,” she wrote in the post. “So thankful that I got to know about this drug and continue to work with it and build a relationship. Graceful Kambo.”
A statement from her modeling agency Revive on Monday said: “We apologize to everyone for any concerns 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 under investigation by the police, we will not be releasing any further details.”
Michibata 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.
Investigators from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department raided the hotel and arrested Michibata (pictured in 2015) and her acquaintance on March 18 (Saturday), reports said.
Pictured: Model Jessica Michibata, who was arrested this weekend. According to local reports, she is suspected of receiving a package containing MDMA
They tied the knot in a lavish Hawaiian ceremony in December 2014. They called 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 gave birth to her daughter Joy, whose father’s identity remains unknown.
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.