KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - A Japanese woman faces the death penalty in Malaysia after being arrested on suspicion of trafficking 4.7 kilograms of methamphetamines, state media said Monday.

Azizah Ibrahim, customs director at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said the 30-year-old woman was detained last Friday for possession of "syabu" which is popular in the region.

Azizah said the drug, with a street value of 1.2 million ringgit (S$490,000), was found in a special compartment in her luggage after she arrived from Dubai, state news agency Bernama reported.

The unnamed woman has been remanded for investigation under Malaysia's tough anti-narcotics law, which stipulates a mandatory death sentence upon conviction. The death penalty is carried out by hanging in Malaysia.