Toyota’s American PR head ‘did not intend to break Japanese law’

Akio

Toyoda backed PR chief TOYOTA president Akio Toyoda said he believes an American executive arrested on suspicion of importing a controlled drug into Japan had no intention of breaking the law.

Julie Hamp, Toyota’s head of public relations and its first senior woman executive, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of importing the painkiller oxycodone. She was the first foreign Toyota executive to be fully stationed in Japan, and was in the process of moving from California.

At a news conference yesterday, Toyoda apologised for the troubles set off by the arrest of Hamp, who was named Toyota’s head of public relations in April.

He said the company should have done more to help with Hamp’s relocation. He declined to go into details of the allegations, only repeating several times that the company was cooperating fully with the investigation.

The drug was found by customs officials in a package Hamp sent to herself by air mail from the US. Japanese media reports said the drugs were hidden in various parts of a jewellery box.

Toyoda said he had picked Hamp because of “her charac- ter”. She was an excellent leader, communicating well with Japanese employees, he said.

“For me and for Toyota, she is an indispensable and precious team-mate,” he told reporters. “I believe that we will learn that she had no intent to violate the law.”

It is unclear when she might be released. Japanese suspects can be detained without charge for up to 23 days.