Julie Hamp, head of PR at Japanese carmaker, released without charge following arrest on suspicion of drug law violations

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

American Toyota executive Julie Hamp has been released without charge in Japan following her arrest in June on suspicion of drug law violations.

The 55-year-old, who resigned last week, was arrested on 18 June on suspicion of importing oxycodone, a narcotic pain killer. The drug is tightly controlled in Japan.

She emerged from a Tokyo police building where she had been detained and was taken away in a minivan.

Hamp was appointed three months ago as the head of public relations at the Japanese carmaker, in a high-profile move that was highlighted by the company as promoting diversity.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday she arranged with her father to have 57 oxycodone pills sent by air mail from the US to a Tokyo hotel in June. They said this act was importing a narcotic but decided not to pursue charges.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A car carrying former Toyota executive Hamp leaves Harajuku police station in Tokyo on Wednesday. Photograph: Thomas Peter/Reuters

Japanese prosecutors are not obliged to publicly explain the reasons for their decisions. Legal experts say that a show of remorse and first-time offenders tend to win some leniency but bringing in such a tightly controlled drug is a serious crime in Japan, often resulting in charges.

Toyota named a replacement for Hamp on Wednesday. Shigeru Hayakawa, a senior managing officer and board member who joined Toyota in 1977, has experience in the company’s US operations and is a communications veteran at the company.

Toyota reiterated its apology for the “confusion and concerns” Hamp’s arrest may have caused. It again promised to promote qualified people, regardless of nationality, gender and age.

The Toyota president, Akio Toyoda, has defended Hamp, calling her an important member of the Toyota team. Company officials said they did not know her whereabouts or her plans.

Toyota has acknowledged the company should have done more to help with her relocation as the first foreign executive to be permanently stationed in Japan.

Toyota’s top executives are predominantly Japanese men, although progress has been made in recent years to promote foreigners as it attempts to diversify and become more international in its corporate culture. Hamp was its first high-profile female promotion.

Sakae Komori, a lawyer who frequently handles drug-related cases, said it was difficult in Japan to work out why someone had been charged or not charged. Suspects with smaller amounts of the same drug had been charged, he said.

“This is seen as a very serious crime in Japan,” he said, acknowledging that the decision might invite allegations of unfairness. “Perhaps the authorities see her as already facing enough social punishment, and she was not judged a drug abuser.”

Toyota is so powerful in Japan that events linked to the company can be seen as setting a precedent.

Komori said Hamp’s resignation from Toyota could have helped in winning her release. Hamp, who joined Toyota in 2012, worked at its US operations until her latest promotion. Before that, she worked for PepsiCo and General Motors.

Police raided the carmaker’s headquarters in Toyota city, central Japan, as well as its Tokyo and Nagoya offices last month.

It is not unheard of for foreigners to be detained in Japan for posting or bringing in medicine they used at home. Such drugs may be banned in Japan or require special approval. In Japan, suspects can be held in custody for up to 23 days without formal charges.