Suntory’s Ex-CEO Seeks to Clear Name After Police Drug Raid

Takeshi Niinami, who resigned as chief executive of Suntory Holdings Ltd. after his home was searched for cannabis-based drugs, said in published interviews that he didn’t think the products he obtained were illegal, stepping up efforts to clear his reputation.

“I am innocent,” Niinami was quoted as saying in an interview with the Asahi newspaper. He added that he had “no intention” of stepping down as chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, which is scheduled to hold a regular news conference with Niinami later on Wednesday.