Niinami to Let Business Group Decide If He Stays as Chairman, After Resigning as Suntory Chair over Police Investigation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:51 JST, September 4, 2025

Takeshi Niinami, the chair of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, intends to let the high-profile business group decide whether he should resign from his position, amid a police investigation into his alleged purchase of illegal supplements. The group, which is also known as Keizai Doyukai, will likely make a decision by the end of the month.

Although Niinami has insisted he is “innocent” of any wrongdoing, he has stepped down from his role as Suntory Holdings Ltd. chairman. The business group’s decision on Niinami will be sure to draw intense scrutiny.

At a press conference Wednesday, Niinami explained his decision. “I ultimately decided that entrusting my position to the association, which operates very transparently, was the right thing to do,” he said.

Mutsuo Iwai, the association’s senior vice chairperson, also attended the press conference. According to Iwai, the association confirmed on Tuesday that Niinami is being investigated by the police. On Wednesday morning, the association’s directors and auditors held a hastily arranged meeting to share information regarding Niinami’s situation. The attendees decided they would also consider the opinions of external experts and try to decide what action to take by the end of the month.

Should the association find that the chairman did commit misconduct or other wrongdoing, an ethics committee will be established under the board of directors to investigate and review the matter. This committee, comprised of multiple directors and auditors, will hear the views of lawyers and other experts before deciding whether any punishment is needed and issuing a recommendation to the board. By accepting a recommendation, the board could dismiss the chairman.

At the press conference, Iwai said the association would acquire “as much information as possible” on the Niinami matter, and consider how the group should deal with this situation. Iwai indicated the timing of a decision would depend on progress made in the investigation. “We don’t intend to let this drag on,” Iwai said.

Niinami has served as a private-sector member of the government’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, an advisory body for policies in these fields, since 2014. The council is chaired by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Niinami suggested he has not decided whether to stay on as a member of the council. “The government will make that decision, so I’ll leave that up to them,” Niinami said.

There are no rules for removing a member of the council, which was set up under the Cabinet Office Establishment Law. It is apparently customary for private-sector members to offer their resignation when they are to be replaced before their term expires, such as due to a new prime minister taking office.

Niinami is also a member of the Council of New Form of Capitalism Realization, which is chaired by the prime minister. The Cabinet Secretariat, which presides over this council, said it had not been contacted by Niinami as of Wednesday evening.