JAPAN TODAY


 

Suntory Holdings Ltd Chairman Takeshi Niinami has stepped down due to an ongoing investigation over the alleged purchase of a dietary supplement suspected to be illegal, the major Japanese brewer company said Tuesday.

Niinami, a prominent 66-year-old Japanese business figure and former president of Lawson Inc, has led the Japan Association of Corporate Executives since April 2023 and has long served as a private-sector member of the government's key council on economic and fiscal policy.

Suntory Holdings President Nobuhiro Torii apologized for Niinami's resignation, which took effect Monday, during a press conference. The company stated that it concluded that Niinami's actions "demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding supplements" and "rendered him unable to continue in the key position" of chairman.

While noting that Niinami has insisted that he purchased the supplement believing it to be legal, the company said, "For the top executive management of Suntory Group, strict compliance with laws and regulations is fundamental, and exercising appropriate caution in purchasing supplements is an indispensable quality."

Suntory's board members unanimously agreed to demand Niinami's resignation. Niinami offered to quit for personal reasons and the company accepted his resignation as of Monday.

The company also noted that the supplement in question is not a Suntory Group product.

According to investigative sources, Niinami's house in Tokyo and other locations were searched by police on Aug 22, based on information provided by customs authorities in southwestern Japan regarding the import of a substance likely illegal in Japan.

The Fukuoka prefectural police did not find any illegal drugs during the search, but have questioned Niinami on a voluntary basis to see if he had any knowledge of the substance's illegality and to determine whether they should build a criminal case against him, the sources said.

Citing unnamed investigators, broadcaster Nippon TV said Niinami was suspected of importing products containing THC, an active ingredient in cannabis, from the United States.

During the search Niinami reportedly told police that he thought it was a legal product and that "a female acquaintance sent it to him unsolicited".
The product in question is seen as effective in treating backache and insomnia, they added.