Julie Hamp, a Toyota executive was arrested in Japan on Thursday for allegedly violating the Narcotic Control Act. Authorities discovered a package that arrived at the airport to contain Oxycodone tablets, a pain control medication that is legal with a doctor’s prescription in the United States, but banned in Japan.
Toyota’s CEO, Akio Toyoda, stated in a press conference Friday that the company is cooperating with the investigation and that Hamp did not intend to break the law.
According to police reports, the package had arrived at Narita airport on June 11. The Japan Times, citing police reports, that authorities suspected that there was an intent to hide the drug, which had been mailed in a package labelled “necklaces.” The tablets had been distributed among jewelry pieces in multiple boxes.
Julie Hamp, 55, is the first western woman promoted in a senior executive position at Toyota. She joined Toyota in 2012 in the North America unit and had moved to Tokyo in April. Hamp had previously been a senior officer at PepsiCo. Inc. and had worked at General Motors.
Oxycodone is used to treat moderate and severe pain and is available in the U.S. with a doctor’s prescription. Japan has designated the drug as a narcotic and requires advance permission from the health and welfare ministry before bringing it into the country.
