Takeshi Niinami, former chairman of Suntory Holdings Ltd. (Kyodo)
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) — Former Suntory Holdings Ltd. Chairman Takeshi Niinami has not been indicted for allegedly importing illegal supplements, along with a female acquaintance, prosecutors said Friday.
The decision came after the two had been referred to prosecutors by the Fukuoka prefectural police in April on suspicion of violating the special narcotics law. Police said Niinami, 67, had denied involvement in the case.
The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office said they reached the decision after “carefully examining appraisal evidence obtained through the investigation.”
Niinami, a prominent business figure, resigned as chairman of Suntory Holdings in September last year after the police investigation surfaced. He also stepped down later that month as head of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, a major business lobby known as Keizai Doyukai.
A graduate of the Harvard Business School, Niinami took the helm of major convenience store chain Lawson Inc. as president in 2002 at age 43. He became the first Suntory Holdings president from outside the founding family in 2014.