Chief of Japanese beverage giant Suntory claims innocence after resigning over CBD supplement
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Winnipeg Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $0.00 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
TOKYO (AP) — The former chief executive of Japanese beverage giant Suntory acknowledged he was investigated on suspicion of possessing an illegal drug but asserted his innocence despite resigning from his position.
“I have not broken the law. I believe I am innocent,” Takeshi Niinami told reporters Wednesday.
Suntory Holdings President Nobuhiro Torii, a member of the company’s founding family, held a news conference Tuesday to announce Niinami had resigned. Torii declined to give many details, saying the case was still under investigation. Police in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, confirmed Niinami was being investigated in a possible drug case without giving further details.
Niinami said Wednesday the case involved a health supplement he called “a CBD supplement” that was made in the U.S. and recommended by a friend who sent it to him by mail. CBD stands for “cannabidiol” and contains a component of marijuana.
Niinami assumed the supplement was “legal 100%” and he wanted to try the product, which was cheaper than versions sold in Japan, to help relieve jet lag from overseas trips. He was traveling when the package arrived and he did not receive it, he said.
“I want to apologize to society,” Niinami, 66, said after bowing deeply. He noted Suntory makes supplements in addition to whisky, beer and non-alcoholic beverages, so his actions showed carelessness.
Niinami is credited with guiding strong growth at Suntory, founded in 1899, including its overseas expansion such as the acquisition of Beam Inc. for $16 billion a decade ago. That deal included iconic brands such as Jim Beam Bourbon, Sauza Tequila and Canadian Club Whisky and helped make Suntory a well-known alcoholic brand in the U.S.
Niinami’s successor at Suntory has not yet been named. Japan has a culture of shame and group accountability and it is common for people who cause embarrassment to give up their posts.
Niinami also has held a leadership position at Keizai Doyukai, or the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, a high-profile business lobby. He made his comments Wednesday at the Keizai Doyukai office in Tokyo.
___
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama