Toyota's Top Ranking Female Executive Steps Down After Narcotics Arrest In Japan

Toyota Motor Corp. today said Julie Hamp, its first female managing officer, had resigned following her arrest last month on suspicion of illegally importing the painkiller oxycodone into Japan.

Hamp, who in April became the automaker's chief communications officer, notified Toyota of her intent to resign, the company said in a statement. Toyota said it had accepted Hamp's resignation after "considering the concerns and inconvenience that recent events have caused our stakeholders."

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MDarringer - 7/1/2015 10:01:21 AM

+1 Boost

She smuggled oxycodone into Japan via mail with the drugs disguised.

This is an utterly stupid line: "Hamp's treatment by the police and local media 'sends a chilling message to other foreign managers who might be considering a posting to Japan.'"

She's a drug trafficker. If you're not a drug trafficker there is no issue.

Had she arrived in Japan with prescription medications properly labled and on her person, there would have been no skurfluffle. Yes, the Japanese authorities can be persnickety even with foreign prescriptions, but even there, Toyota could have arranged for a Japanese doctor to consult with her American doctor and prescribe legitimate medications.

The one good thing is that her resignation means she can't sue Toyota, which is why they probably didn't fire her on the spot like she truly deserved.

w222 - 7/1/2015 12:38:01 PM

+2 Boost

I don't get why the president of Toyota was standing up for her. She knowingly broke the law and should be punished accordingly. Oxycodone can easily be prescribed in most countries, it was a stupid decision on her part.