Donna Nelson has been returned to Australia in a secret prisoner transfer after being convicted of smuggling drugs into Japan.
The 60-year-old Perth grandmother is understood to have been moved to Australian custody after serving three years and nine months of a six-year sentence. She is expected to serve the remainder of her sentence in a correctional facility in Perth.
Nelson was arrested at Narita International Airport in January 2023 after narcotics were found in her suitcase. She has consistently maintained that she was innocent and was tricked by an online love interest.
A Japanese court accepted that Nelson had been the victim of a romance scam, but convicted her on the basis that she ought to have known the risks involved.
Donna Nelson’s transfer to Australia
Prisoner transfers of this kind are rare and involve diplomatic sensitivities. The federal and Western Australian governments have declined to comment publicly on Nelson’s return.
Nelson’s family has previously said she struggled with the harsh conditions in Japanese prisons and had limited contact with relatives.
The transfer is understood to have been in development since her appeal was rejected in September 2025. The following month, it emerged that she would not pursue any further appeal against her conviction.
Before her imprisonment, Nelson was a former Greens candidate and a prominent Aboriginal health advocate and community leader.
