Becoming Lawson President Showed Me My Arrogance — Suntory’s Niinami Opens Up Post-Resignation

On September 1, Takeshi Niinami (66) resigned as Chairman of Suntory Holdings (Suntory HD)

According to media reports, Niinami was suspected of purchasing supplements from the U.S. that contained the illegal cannabis-derived component THC. However, as reported by Asahi Shimbun (Sept. 2), Niinami himself explained in an interview that the supplements were legal CBD (cannabidiol) products. On August 22, Fukuoka Prefectural Police searched his residence in Minato, Tokyo.

“In response to the investigation, Niinami explained he believed the supplements were legal. According to Nippon TV News, during the search he also claimed that a female acquaintance had unilaterally sent them, denying involvement,” (national newspaper social affairs reporter).

At a press conference on September 2, Suntory HD President Nobuhiro Torii and Vice President Kenji Yamada officially announced Niinami’s resignation as of September 1.

They revealed that on the night of August 21, Niinami himself informed them of “emerging suspicions.” By midday on the 22nd, he had also reported that a “search had been conducted that morning.” This information was immediately shared among executives, and external lawyers interviewed Niinami.

Niinami later traveled to the U.S. on the 23rd to attend a Suntory Global Spirits event. A special board meeting was convened on the 26th, where Niinami participated remotely and explained the circumstances in detail. On the 28th, all directors and auditors (excluding Niinami) held an emergency meeting and concluded that he “lacked the qualities required of management,” proceeding to discuss his resignation. Finally, on September 1, Torii spoke with Niinami directly and received his letter of resignation.

Niinami, a graduate of Keio University’s Faculty of Economics, joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 1981. In May 2002, he became President of Lawson, then a publicly listed company with Mitsubishi as its main shareholder. In 2014, he became the first non-founding family member to serve as President of Suntory, where he expanded its international business and steadily increased sales over the next decade. His achievements were highly praised, and in March of this year, he was promoted to Chairman, sharing the role with Nobutada Saji (79).

Since 2023, he had also served as Representative Director of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, making him one of the key figures in Japan’s business world.

FRIDAY had previously conducted a long interview with Niinami in December 2008—six years after he became Lawson President. At the time, he spoke about the setbacks faced by a 43-year-old elite CEO and the new realizations he had gained.

《 “I was truly arrogant.” 》

《In July 1998, while still an employee at Mitsubishi Corporation, Niinami became the team leader of the Food Group’s restaurant business and worked on rebuilding the struggling Kentucky Fried Chicken Japan.

“KFC had increased its menu while holding on too many poorly performing stores. When you expand the menu, the handmade process in preparing the signature fried chicken inevitably gets reduced. Cutting corners causes the taste to suffer, and customers noticed. So, I proposed slashing the menu and refocusing on fried chicken. That made it delicious again. When the food tastes good, employees can take pride in it. For them, delicious fried chicken itself was their pride. Everyone worked hard for that pride, and performance improved dramatically.” 》

After serving as General Manager of the Lawson Project Office and head of the restaurant business division, Niinami was appointed president of Lawson in May 2002. It was the first time Mitsubishi Corporation had installed someone with no prior executive experience as the president of a Tokyo Stock Exchange–listed company, making it an extraordinary appointment. He quickly drew attention in the business world as a legendary man.

At first, Niinami issued top-down directives based on Seven-Eleven’s success model, trying to make Lawson do the same. As a result, communication within the company deteriorated, employees’ pride was hurt, and even their motivation declined. Reflecting on himself at the time, Niinami said,

《 “I was truly arrogant.” 》

《 “Lawson, rooted so deeply in the Kansai region and other local areas, had a completely different background from Seven-Eleven, which started in Tokyo. Yet I was constantly yelling, ‘If Seven-Eleven can do it, why can’t Lawson?’ That kind of behavior just drives employees away, doesn’t it?” 》

After being criticized by close aides and realizing his mistake, Niinami changed his approach. In management meetings, he made an effort to “not get angry,” “listen to everyone’s opinions first before speaking,” and to engage in close communication with the front lines in plain language.

《 “Even if employees try something new and fail, I never punish them. What matters is letting them raise their hands and say, ‘I want to try.’ For that, employees need to feel energized. That’s why we say, ‘Let’s get Genki-naro-son!’” 》

We said we would run this together, side by side

Six years later, Niinami would become president of Suntory. The lessons he learned at Lawson were put to good use, and Suntory’s performance grew significantly.

At the press conference announcing Niinami’s resignation, President Torii said:

“I have worked with Mr. Niinami, and I think some of you may remember that when my own appointment as president was announced this past March, I appeared at the press conference together with him. We said we would run this together, side by side, and now it is extremely regrettable.”

He expressed his emotions openly, with frustration and disappointment seeping through. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation, it is said that Niinami will not be returning to Suntory. There is nothing to call this but a regrettable result.