TOKYO - At a regular press conference of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, Takeshi Niinami, who stepped down as chairman of Suntory Holdings, appeared with a calm demeanor and used the opportunity to deny wrongdoing over his alleged involvement in the import of illegal supplements.
"I do not believe I have broken the law, and I maintain my innocence," Niinami said. "However, I acknowledge that my decision to purchase the CBD supplement was careless and caused this situation. I sincerely apologize for that."
Niinami's home was searched last month by authorities on suspicion of illegally importing supplements containing THC, a component derived from cannabis. At the press conference, he claimed he had only purchased legal CBD products and explained that he believed the items in question were compliant with the law.
"I purchased CBD supplements in the United States," he explained. "They were commercially available products, and I had intended to bring them back myself during a business trip in April. However, they were ultimately transported via a different route due to subsequent travel to India before returning to Japan."
According to Niinami, a friend living in New York sent him the supplements on two occasions. The first time, the friend carried them as hand luggage to Japan and arranged for them to be delivered to Niinami's residence. The second time, the friend mailed the supplements to Niinami’s brother in Fukuoka, asking him to forward them to Niinami’s home. It was this second shipment that raised suspicions of containing THC and led to the brother’s arrest by police.
"The issue has arisen specifically with the second shipment," Niinami stated. "This was completely unexpected, and I never instructed anyone to import it domestically."
He emphasized that he never physically received either shipment, including the one he had originally asked his friend to send.
"I travel abroad frequently and have an arrangement with my family to dispose of packages from unknown senders," Niinami said. "I believe the items were likely discarded by my family under this rule."
When asked why he had not informed his family that the package might be arriving, he replied, "I didn’t specifically tell them what was coming the first time either, so there was no communication about the contents."
Although he had previously purchased CBD products in Japan, Niinami said he chose to acquire them from the U.S. this time due to his frequent business trips and their lower cost.
"I often suffer from jet lag, and this friend who has looked after my health strongly recommended these," he explained. "They were also significantly cheaper than those available in Japan, which was another reason for the decision."
Despite his role as a leading figure in Japan’s corporate world, including representing companies like Lawson and Suntory, Niinami justified his actions by citing cost-effectiveness.
When pressed on whether he was aware of legal ambiguities surrounding such products, he responded, "There was absolutely no sense of ambiguity. I was 100% confident that the CBD was legal."
He said he would refrain from public appearances and leave the matter to the discretion of the association's leadership.
"I don’t believe CEOs and chairmen should be forced to resign just because someone in their family is questioned by the police. That would set a dangerous precedent," he said.
Niinami concluded by emphasizing that the situation surrounding Suntory differed from other recent supplement-related scandals because no questionable products had been distributed by the company.
Source: TBS
