Suntory chief exits after cannabis supplement probe shocks Japan Inc

One of Japan's top business leaders, Takeshi Niinami, resigned last week as chief executive of drinks company Suntory Holdings after allegations he bought possibly illegal cannabis-based supplements and police raided his Tokyo home.

- Matthew Bishop

The board of the firm, which makes the eponymous whisky and owns other drinks brands, voted unanimously to request his resignation. He insists he is innocent.

Suntory whisky gained name recognition in the west after featuring in the film Lost in Translation: "For relaxing times, make it Suntory time," repeats the protagonist, played by Bill Murray. Niinami allegedly preferred something else to help him relax. He says a friend had recommended the supplement to help with jet lag, and that he purchased it legally in the US.

Nobody has suggested Niinami bought actual cannabis. The unanswered question is whether the supplement contained small amounts of the cannabis derivative cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive compound which is legal in Japan, or also some traces of illegal THC, the psychoactive element in cannabis.