Takeshi Ninami, a prominent figure in Japan's corporate world and regarded as a 'star manager,' abruptly resigned as chairman of Suntory Holdings amid a police investigation for possessing a supplement containing drugs.
Suntory Holdings held an urgent press conference on the 2nd, announcing that Ninami resigned effective the 1st. The company explained that Ninami had reported to them that he was under police investigation for a health supplement he received from an overseas acquaintance and stated his intention to resign for personal reasons.
According to reports from Japanese media such as Asahi Shimbun and Nikkei, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police searched Ninami's home in Tokyo on the 22nd of last month on suspicion of violating drug control laws (importation). This action was taken after receiving information that the package sent from abroad contained a supplement with cannabis ingredients. The police are reportedly focusing their investigation on whether Ninami was aware that the product contained illegal substances.
The Suntory board unanimously recommended that Ninami resign. Kenji Yamada, Suntory's vice president, said at the press conference, 'The mere fact that allegations of possessing illegal drugs have been raised demonstrates a lack of qualities required of a manager.' Ninami expressed through the company that he is 'regretful' that he can no longer continue as chairman.
Ninami is a towering figure in Japan's corporate world. A former executive at Mitsubishi Corporation, he became president of the convenience store company Lawson in 2002, leading the company to growth and creating the 'Lawson myth.' In 2014, he was appointed as the first external president not from the Suntory founding family, making headlines. He aggressively managed Suntory, acquiring the famous American whiskey company Beam for about 1.6 trillion yen (approximately 15 trillion won), transforming it into a global corporation. Since last year, he has served as the representative secretary of the Keizai Doyukai, one of Japan's three major economic organizations, actively voicing criticism of government policies in a socially impactful role.
Japan's corporate world is struggling to conceal shock and bewilderment. On the 2nd, the news of Ninami's resignation caused a significant drop in the stock price of Suntory's subsidiary Suntory Foods International, indicating the market's sensitive reaction. Suntory stated that for the time being, the company will be operated under the sole management of Nobutada Saji, a member of the founding family. However, it is expected that the leadership vacuum created by the dishonorable resignation of a leading corporate figure and the damage to the company's image will be difficult to mitigate.