Suntory CEO Busted for THC: The Boozy Irony

It’s not every day that the CEO of one of Japan’s most powerful companies steps down in scandal. Usually, it’s finance mismanagement, an affair splashed across the tabloids, or maybe some good old-fashioned tax evasion. But this time? Suntory’s top man, Takeshi Niinami, resigned because of suspect supplements sent from abroad. That’s right. THE Suntory CEO was busted for THC.

Yes, the whisky boss tripped over weed, or at least, supplements suspected to contain it. He swears he thought they were CBD. Either way, it’s the most ironic headline Japan has seen in years: a whisky mogul undone by cannabis in a country where alcohol is celebrated, marketed on TV, and sold in vending machines, while cannabis earns you jail time.

Key Quick-Read Takeaways:

Scandal: Suntory CEO Niinami resigned after a THC probe.
Irony: Alcohol mogul tripped over cannabis—the plant alcohol helped suppress.
History: Hemp was once central in Japan, banned post-WWII under U.S. influence.
Culture: Kids’ beer is fine, CBD is tolerated, but THC can wreck your life.
Lesson: The double standard is glaring, and maybe, just maybe, due for a shake-up.

A High-Profile Fall (Without the High)

On September 1, 2025, Niinami submitted his resignation after police raided his Tokyo home and questioned him about imported supplements thought to contain THC (the psychoactive compound in cannabis). No illegal drugs were found, but Suntory quickly declared that a leader showing “lack of awareness” about what was legal and what wasn’t couldn’t possibly continue to be in charge of the company.

In Japan, appearances matter almost as much as facts. Even without charges, the optics were fatal. Imagine being the head of one of the world’s biggest alcohol empires, responsible for Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, and Suntory whisky, and suddenly being caught up in a cannabis investigation. It’s like being a Michelin-starred chef taken down by a rogue Cup Noodle.

Japan’s Green Wall

Here’s the sobering bit: cannabis is still one of the harshest no-go zones in Japanese law. Under the Cannabis Control Act of 1948, possession or cultivation can land you in prison for up to seven years.

That’s right—seven years. For a plant.

Meanwhile, alcohol remains deeply woven into Japanese culture. Business deals are sealed over izakaya beers, politicians campaign with sake in hand, and nobody bats an eye at konbini shelves lined with strong chu-hi. In fact, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen drunk salarymen sprawled across train platforms like they’ve decided the yellow safety line is their new futon. And that’s not even considered scandalous! It’s just another Friday night.

It goes even further: Japan literally sells kids’ beer. Don’t worry, it’s alcohol-free, just sparkling juice packaged to look like real beer. But the fact that pint-sized “cheers” are marketed as cute family fun says a lot about how normalized alcohol is here. But cannabis? Not a chance.

Sure, CBD products (without THC) have carved out a niche, and in 2023, Japan finally passed legislation allowing certain medical cannabis products. But recreational cannabis? Absolutely not. The irony goes deeper than all-you-can-drink highballs.

Hemp Before Hooch

Here’s where history makes this whole saga extra juicy. Hemp wasn’t always taboo in Japan. For centuries, it was everywhere: farmers grew it, priests used it in Shinto rituals, and sumo wrestlers wore hemp belts as a symbol of purity.

Then came WWII and the American occupation. The new Cannabis Control Law was drafted in 1948, heavily influenced by U.S. policy and the booming petrochemical industry. Hemp posed too much competition to nylon and polyester, so the plant got shoved into obscurity. Synthetic fibers thrived, alcohol companies thrived, and hemp got locked away behind bars of prohibition.

In other words, the very legal scaffolding that helped alcohol flourish helped bury hemp. So when Suntory’s CEO tumbles over suspected THC, it feels like karmic whiplash.

Booze vs. Bud: The Ongoing Double Standard

Let’s pause for a cheeky but obvious observation: alcohol is everywhere in Japan. And it’s not exactly harmless. Drunk driving, public disturbances, and liver disease all trace back to it, yet no one’s losing their job because they picked up a Strong Zero at Lawson.

Cannabis? Zero tolerance. No nuance between responsible use, medical application, or industrial hemp. Just stigma, jail time, and ruined lives.

This imbalance isn’t unique to Japan. Alcohol industries worldwide have quietly lobbied against cannabis reform. Because if people can switch their Friday night whisky for a Saturday night joint, guess who loses profits?

So yes, it’s “funny” in a grim way that an alcohol titan’s downfall came not from booze but from a plant his industry helped keep illegal.

Why It Matters

You could dismiss this as just another corporate scandal. But it’s more than that. It’s a mirror of Japan’s uneasy relationship with cannabis. The same country that reveres tradition, celebrates rituals, and embraces CBD wellness still throws the book at anyone suspected of THC.

Meanwhile, alcohol continues to reign unchallenged. And that’s dangerous as far as I’m concerned. And regarding cannabis? Prohibition doesn’t erase demand, it only creates stigma, misinformation, and underground markets. And if Japan wants to protect its citizens, it should rethink which substances it demonizes and which it celebrates.

Final Toast

So here we are: Suntory’s whisky king forced to step down, not because of his alcohol empire, but because of a plant that once grew freely in Japan’s soil.

Absurd. Poetic. And a little bit hilarious.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s a chance to finally laugh at the irony and start asking harder questions. Like why a booze hangover is socially acceptable, but a high is criminal. Or why hemp was good enough for Shinto gods, but not for modern lawmakers.

Until then, pour yourself a glass of whisky if you must. Or hit up one of my favorite alt cannabis shops. But let’s keep talking about the green elephant in the izakaya.