Toyota’s Top Female Executive Resigns After Oxycodone Arrest in Japan

UPDATED: July 8, 2015

 

Julie Hamp, Toyota Motor Co.’s top female executive, who resigned her role as chief communications officer July 1 amid allegations that she illegally imported the prescription drug oxycodone into Japan, is unlikely to be charged.

 

According to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, Tokyo prosecutors said the case lacks enough criminal intent to pursue. 

 

Hamp was arrested June 18 after customs officials found 57 oxycodone tablets in a package that family members sent her to alleviate knee pain

 

Her resignation comes just months after Hamp, 55, became the first woman to hold an executive position within the predominantly male company, according to published reports. Her elevation was part of the automaker’s efforts to diversify its leadership ranks. 

 

In a written statement, Toyota said it accepted Hamp’s resignation after “considering the concerns and inconvenience that recent events have caused our stakeholders.”