Toyota's Julie Hamp, the automotive company's first female senior executive, was arrested in Japan on a drug charge involving Oxycodone, but the car giant is standing behind her and said she didn't intend to break any laws.
Hamp, 55, Toyota's chief communication officer and managing officer, was arrested after the drug Oxycodone was shipped from the United States to Japan on June 8 but intercepted by custom agents on June 11,
reported Automotive News.
A Japanese police spokesman said only specially designated parties were allowed to import the drug under Japanese law. Japan's national television news NHK reported that package contained 57 pills.
"Toyota has been made aware of Ms. Hamp's arrest but has no further facts in light of the ongoing investigation by the authorities," said Toyota spokesman Shino Yamada in a statement obtained by Automotive News.
"We will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation. We are confident, however, that once the investigation is complete, it will be revealed that there was no intention on Ms. Hamp's part to violate any law," said Yamada.
CNN Money said that while Oxycodone is a legally prescribed painkiller in the United States, the drug is listed a narcotic in Japan.
Hamp was promoted to her position at Toyota in April,
according to Reuters. Her appointment along with the company's hiring of African-American Christopher Reynolds as a managing officer were hailed as signs of Toyota's diversification among its top management.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pushing his country's businesses to boost the presence of women in is top jobs. McKinsey & Company said women make up 11 percent of mid- to senior-level management jobs in Japan and one percent of executive committee members.
Hamp served as chief communications officer and senior vice president, communications and consumer relations for PepsiCo. before joining Toyota,
according to her company biography. She was a member of PepsiCo's executive council and foundation board of directors and led a global team of more than 350 communications and consumer relations professionals.
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