Suntory Group CEO Takeshi Niinami has resigned from his role amid a police investigation into illegal supplements. 

According to news agencies in Japan, police raided Niinami’s home in August as part of an illegal drugs probe. 

Niinami said that at the time of purchase, he believed the supplements were legal, though no further details have been provided on the nature of the substance. 

In a news conference held today (2 September), Suntory Holdings president Torii Nobuhiro confirmed that Niinami had stepped down as of Monday (1 September). 

This follows a meeting between Niinami and company executives, after which he allegedly offered his resignation for personal reasons. 

An official statement on the Suntory website, published today, read: “Given the matter is under investigation, the company believes that the determination of the legality of the above supplements should be deferred to the authorities. 

“However, for the top executive management of Suntory Group, strict compliance with laws and regulations is fundamental, and exercising appropriate caution in purchasing  suppements is an indispensable quality. 

“Therefore, without waiting for the outcome of the investigation, the company determined that Takeshi Niinami’s actions which demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding supplements rendered him unable to continue in his position of representative director, chairman & chief executive officer.”  

Niinami, aged 66, was first appointed as president of the company in 2014 at which time he was the first non-family member to take the reins.  

The same year, the ex-CEO directed the successful integration of Jim Beam into the company. Outside of Suntory, Niinami is one of the most high-profile executives in Japan. 

There has been no news regarding who will replace Niinami.