Former Japanese adult film actress Mao Hamasaki, who moved to Hong Kong after retiring and works as a DJ under the name "DJMao," was suspected of being drugged at a Halloween event on October 31 and rushed to intensive care. It has now emerged that her "manager," seen in a video holding her as she sat in a wheelchair in pain, is in fact her husband — a Hong Kong man she married, which enabled her to obtain a Hong Kong identity card.
Hamasaki had publicly announced she had obtained a Hong Kong identity card and moved to the city, with many assuming she had simply come to develop her career. Sources said she was able to obtain permanent residency because she had already registered her marriage to her manager, and the couple work together.
After finishing a DJ set at a Wan Chai restaurant, a VIP customer invited DJMao to continue performing at a private venue in Tsim Sha Tsui. At Club PP in the Tsim Sha Tsui's Auto Plaza, she lost a game and drank a glass of sweet whisky suspected to have been spiked with a synthetic drug known as "Happy Water." She quickly collapsed, suffered severe convulsions and lost consciousness, and was sent to intensive care.
Hamasaki posted in the early hours of November 1 saying she had been "drugged at work" and reported the incident to police. Her manager said tests after hospital admission showed positive results for four drugs and that she needed to stay in intensive care.
The manager told The Standard's sister publication Sing Tao Headline that after the Wan Chai show, they went with the boss to Club PP in Tsim Sha Tsui. "After MAO drank two glasses, we found she had been drugged. MAO was not lucid — it was not drunkenness. We immediately asked the venue staff what happened, but they kept saying 'don't know, don't know.' We called police at the time, but police said they were 'very busy.' I now need to find friends to handle it." He added: "Initial urine test results show reactions to four drugs. She is now in ICU."
Video provided by the manager showed someone negotiating with him afterwards, while Hamasaki sat in a wheelchair in obvious pain, at one point tightly holding the manager's waist.
Sources said Hamasaki kept the marriage secret because most of her fan base is male, to avoid losing supporters, with her husband willingly staying behind the scenes as her "manager." On the night of the incident, seeing his wife in danger and in pain, he stepped forward in his true role as her husband and stayed at the hospital overnight to protect her.
Responding to online criticism that the "manager" failed to protect her and should be fired, he said he had indeed been careless. He said he has largely identified the person behind the suspected drugging, but because the case is serious and police have taken over the investigation, he cannot disclose more details to avoid affecting the case. He promised the strictest security measures in future to protect his wife.
