Tokyo Customs seized about 331,000 pills of MDMA and other synthetic narcotics last year, a record high, officials said Saturday. Customs officials fear more and more people are taking MDMA, better known as ecstasy, as the drug is relatively cheap. Prices of stimulant drugs spiked following a series of crackdowns on narcotics smuggled from North Korea. Tokyo Customs is keeping a close eye on shipments and luggage imported via Narita and Haneda airports as well as Tokyo, Yokohama and Niigata ports.
The number of seized ecstasy pills and other synthetic narcotics reached 317,000 units in 2003. However, the figure had maintained a downward trend thereafter, sinking to about 113,500 in 2006.

Source: Daily Yomiuri1,18 Feb 2008