The chairman of the Japanese beverage giant Suntory has resigned amid a police investigation into his purchase of a supplement that could be illegal in Japan, the company said on Tuesday.
Takeshi Niinami, 66, an influential executive in Japan, was named chairman of Suntory in March. He had previously served as the whiskey and beer maker’s chief executive for a decade.
At a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, Suntory executives declined to specify the supplements in question, stating that their legality was part of the investigation. The company added that Mr. Niinami had resigned before any conclusion was reached. In a statement relayed by the company, Mr. Niinami said it was “regrettable” that he could no longer continue as chairman.
The daily newspaper Tokyo Shimbun reported that police were looking at whether Mr. Niinami had purchased supplements containing cannabis components.
Japan maintains some of the world’s strictest drug laws, which criminalize both the use and possession of cannabis. Japan’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal drugs has ensnared even prominent individuals for infractions that might be treated as minor offenses in other countries.
In 2015, Julie Hamp, an American Toyota executive, was arrested on charges of importing a prescription painkiller that is legal in the United States but requires special permission to bring into Japan. Ms. Hamp was never indicted and has returned to work at Toyota.
More recently, in 2023, the Japanese actor Kento Nagayama was sentenced to six months in prison for possession of cannabis.
Mr. Niinami has made frequent appearances in the media to discuss global economics and geopolitics. A graduate of Keio University in Japan and Harvard Business School, he is fluent in English and often represented corporate Japan at international events such as the World Economic Forum.
At Suntory, Mr. Niinami is credited with leading the integration of Beam — the American owner of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons — after its 2014 acquisition. The Suntory-Beam deal helped transform Suntory into a global leader in the liquor industry.
Since becoming chairman of Suntory, Mr. Niinami has made frequent trips overseas representing the company. Mr. Niinami also serves as chairman of the influential Keizai Doyukai business lobby and is a member of an advisory body to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Suntory did not comment on whether he would be resigning from those roles.
At the news conference, Nobuhiro Torii, Suntory’s president, and Kenji Yamada, an executive vice president, said they were surprised by the news regarding Mr. Niinami and apologized repeatedly for causing “concern and inconvenience.”
The company said in a statement that, even though the legality had not yet been determined, “exercising appropriate caution in purchasing supplements is an indispensable quality.” Mr. Niinami’s actions demonstrated “a lack of awareness” that rendered him “unable to continue in the key position of representative director and chairman.”
River Akira Davis covers Japan for The Times, including its economy and businesses, and is based in Tokyo.
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