The supplements allegedly contained THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, which is illegal in Japan.Published On 2 Sep 20252 Sep 2025Suntory Holdings CEO Takeshi Niinami, one of Japan’s best-known business leaders, has resigned from the beverage group following a police investigation into his purchase of a supplement that may have breached the country’s strict drug laws.Niinami, who has served as an adviser to several Japanese prime ministers and was often the face of corporate Japan at Davos and other international events, told Suntory he purchased the supplement believing it was legal, the company said on Tuesday.“I was not aware that it was an illegal supplement. I am innocent,” he told the Asahi newspaper in a report published Tuesday evening. He added that he felt the company would be unable to unite if he did not resign. Reuters was not able to immediately reach Niinami for comment.Suntory’s president, Nobuhiro Torii, a great-grandson of the company’s founder Shinjiro Torii, told a press briefing that he would now be fully helming the company.“He was a bold, decisive leader who got things done, and I truly respected him,” Torii said of Niinami. “In that respect – and I told this to him yesterday as well – it’s a real shame that we couldn’t continue as a team.”Niinami, a fluent English speaker, is chairman of the influential Keizai Doyukai business lobby. He said he had no intention of resigning from that role, according …
