Police Releasing Former Toyota Executive Jailed for Pain Pills

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

Former Toyota communications chief Julie Hamp will be released from jail Wednesday, according to Bloomberg News (via Kyodo News).

Hamp was jailed June 18 for allegedly mailing herself 57 Oxycodone pills, which are illegal in Japan. She resigned her position with Toyota on June 30 as one of the global automaker’s highest-ranking female executives.

The reason for Hamp’s release is unclear. Bloomberg reported that prosecutors in Japan didn’t have enough evidence to indict Hamp on the charges. Kyodo News (via translator) reported prosecutors determined Hamp’s actions weren’t malicious and her resignation may have been enough punishment.

According to Kyodo News, police can’t hold Hamp longer than Wednesday without pressing charges.

On the day of her arrest, Hamp was named to PR Week’s “Power List” as a top communications executive. Before working at Toyota, Hamp worked at General Motors and Pepsi. She was promoted to her position on March 4.

According to a Bloomberg report, Hamp may be questioned up to 6 hours every day during her detention. Police in Japan can detain suspects for up to 23 days without formally charging them with any crime. If Hamp were charged and convicted, she could have faced 2 1/2 years in prison with two years suspended.

Japan is famously strict on prescription medications. The U.S. Embassy in Japan warns visitors to leave over-the-counter medication, such as allergy medicine and even asthma inhalers, at home. Common U.S. drugs such as Prozac or Viagra are sold on the black market in Japan and can carry jail sentences if purchased illegally, the embassy warns.


Aaron Cole
Aaron Cole

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  • Thanh_n Thanh_n on Jul 07, 2015

    Why is this story arc such a big deal on TTAC? There are seven articles on the subject reporting on essentially the same thing. Seems like overkill for someones personal problems.

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    • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Jul 08, 2015

      28-Cars-Later - agreed.

  • Anonymous Anonymous on Jul 07, 2015

    I've had quite a few prescriptions in my time. I've never had a doctor write me a prescription for 57 of anything.

  • Jthorner Jthorner on Jul 07, 2015

    She is lucky Toyota was on her side. Had she been a "nobody", she would likely be stuck in a Japanese prison for a long, long time.

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    • Signal11 Signal11 on Jul 08, 2015

      Completely the opposite. Toyota hung her out to dry within days and the way it works in Japan is that her high profile meant that there was more pressure on her to confess from everyone who saw her. Also bogus is the prosecution service's claim that they think her resignation might be punishment enough. That's the government trying to save face for not being able to wring a confession out of her to proceed. Without a confession, they know they will never be able to convict, despite the strength of any evidence, so they're dropping the case now. Wouldn't want a failure to convict on the books, now would we? All she had to do was stick to one story - "Wasn't me, friend/relative who sent it to me did it of their own initiative," admit no wrongdoing, doesn't matter how implausible the story is and they were never going to charge her.

  • Durask Durask on Jul 09, 2015

    She got released because US Ambassador to Japan who happens to be Caroline Kennedy pushed on the Japanese govt. Helps to be rich and powerful.

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