Japan: Suntory CEO resigns after possible purchase of illegal supplements

Suntory Holdings chairman and CEO Takeshi Niinami has resigned following allegations he purchased supplements containing illegal substances, the company confirmed on September 2.

Niinami, 66, one of Japan’s most prominent and outspoken business leaders, said he believed the supplements he bought were legal. He has often served as the face of corporate Japan and frequently appeared on CNN.

Investigators had previously searched Niinami’s Tokyo home on suspicion he had received products containing cannabis-derived substances from an acquaintance overseas, according to public broadcaster NHK, citing investigative officials.

Police believe the items may have contained THC and are examining whether Niinami knew the substance is strictly regulated in Japan.

Niinami had informed colleagues on August 22 that he was under police investigation, Suntory President Nobuhiro Torii and Vice President Kenji Yamada told a press conference on September 2. On September 1, Niinami offered to step down, citing personal reasons. The company accepted his resignation effective that same day.

Niinami had told the company that the investigation concerned supplements he had purchased under the assumption they were legal, according to Torii.

CNN has reached out to Suntory and the Fukuoka Prefectural Police for comment.

Suntory is one of Japan’s most recognizable drinks brands, selling beer, whisky, sports and energy drinks. In Sofia Coppolla’s 2003 film “Lost in Translation,” Oscar-nominated Bill Murray played an over-the-hill US actor who befriends a lonely young woman during a trip to Tokyo to promote the company’s whisky.

The possession, sale, or import of THC-containing substances is strictly prohibited in Japan. Possession alone can carry a prison sentence of up to seven years, while trafficking or smuggling brings even harsher penalties. The country makes no distinction between the recreational and medical use of cannabis.

Niinami has long been a high-profile figure in business and politics, serving as an economic adviser to several Japanese prime ministers. Before joining Suntory, he was chief executive of convenience store chain Lawson, becoming the first outsider to lead the family-founded beverage giant.

In December, Suntory promoted Torii to president, returning control of the Japanese whisky giant to its founding family. Niinami remained in his roles as chairman and CEO.