The former Suntory chairman Takeshi Niinami, who resigned this week over allegations that he bought a supplement that could be illegal in Japan, has declared his innocence, saying he used the product to cope with jet lag and had never taken it within Japan’s borders.
At a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, Mr. Niinami said he had purchased supplements containing CBD, a cannabis compound commonly used for pain and anxiety, in the United States, where they are legal. The authorities are looking into whether the supplements are illegal in Japan, but Mr. Niinami said that because he never possessed them in the country, “I believe I did not violate any laws and am innocent.”
An influential executive, Mr. Niinami, 66, has traveled the world on business trips for many years, and he has continued to do so since becoming chairman of Suntory, the Japanese beverage giant, in March, after serving a decade as chief executive.
“It was my carelessness that led to this situation when I purchased these supplements,” Mr. Niinami said. “I apologize for the uproar it has caused.” He added, “I travel a lot for work and often suffer from jet lag, so an acquaintance who helps me stay healthy recommended it to me.”
Mr. Niinami resigned from Suntory this week after the authorities searched his home in Tokyo on suspicion that he had violated the Narcotics Control Law. The company’s board of directors said he had demonstrated “a lack of awareness” that rendered him “unable to continue in the key position of representative director and chairman.”
Mr. Niinami, who is also the chairman of Japan’s Keizai Doyukai business lobbying group, said he hoped to continue in that role. The Keizai Doyukai is assembling an ethics review committee to decide its stance on the matter.
Mr. Niinami also serves on an advisory body to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The government’s chief spokesman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said Mr. Niinami’s status in regard to that body would be addressed “at an appropriate time.”
Losing Mr. Niinami, who is known for building Suntory into a global spirits powerhouse, would be a significant blow for corporate Japan. Fluent in English and educated at Harvard Business School, he has represented Japan at global events such as the World Economic Forum and regularly meets with leading international business figures outside the country.
Japan has some of the world’s strictest drug laws, which criminalize both the use and the possession of cannabis. The country’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal drugs has ensnared a number of prominent individuals for infractions that might be treated as minor offenses in other countries.
Mr. Niinami said he had originally planned to bring the CBD supplements from the United States back to Japan himself. But because of his circuitous route back — via India and the United Arab Emirates — he decided to have them shipped to his home.
An acquaintance in New York, whom he described as a “very well-known figure,” told him the supplements were legal in Japan and offered to have them sent to his home, Mr. Niinami said. Mr. Niinami said a member of his family probably threw that package away before he received it.
He said the police had initially been interested in another package of supplements, which the New York acquaintance had shipped to a member of their own family in Japan. That family member had planned to send the package to Mr. Niinami’s home but was arrested before doing so, Mr. Niinami said.
River Akira Davis covers Japan for The Times, including its economy and businesses, and is based in Tokyo.
Kiuko Notoya is a Tokyo-based reporter and researcher for The Times, covering news and features from Japan.
The post Suntory Boss Who Resigned Said He Took CBD Supplements for Jet Lag appeared first on New York Times.
