Japan recorded its second largest seizure of stimulants and other illegal substances last year.

Finance Ministry figures show that the amount of illegal drugs seized by Japanese customs officers at ports and airports nationwide in 2023 was 2,406 kilograms. That represents a 79 percent increase from the previous year. It was the country's second biggest seizure. The largest was recorded in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Meanwhile, the number of drug trafficking cases uncovered in 2023 was 815. That figure is down 22 percent from 2022.

The data reveal that traffickers are becoming increasingly reliant on airplanes. The number of cases involving passenger planes nearly tripled from the previous year to 262. Officials attribute this to an increase in passenger air travel that occurred after coronavirus restrictions were eased.

Last year, a seizure record was set when 704 kilograms of stimulants were pulled from a cargo ship that arrived in Tokyo Bay from the United Arab Emirates. Japanese customs officers also seized 113 kilograms of stimulant drugs in the cargo section of an airplane that arrived at Narita Airport from Mexico.