Toyota's top female executive resigns after arrest in Japan

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Julie Hamp, Toyota's most senior female executive, has resigned following her arrest in Japan on suspicion of drug law violations, the automaker said Wednesday.

Hamp tendered her resignation through her attorneys on Tuesday, and Toyota Motor Corp. accepted it because of "the concerns and inconvenience that recent events have caused our stakeholders," the company said.

Hamp, a 55-year-old American who was Toyota's newly appointed head of public relations, was arrested on June 18 on suspicion of importing oxycodone, a narcotic pain killer, into Japan. The drug is tightly controlled in the country.

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Her arrest came as she was moving her things from the U.S., and police came to her Tokyo hotel after finding the drug in a package that was mailed to her. Japanese media said the drugs were hidden in a package containing jewelry.

Although Japanese Toyota officials have been posted abroad, Hamp was the first senior foreign Toyota executive to be fully stationed in Japan.

Foreigners have sometimes been detained in Japan for mailing or bringing in medicines they used at home. Such drugs may be banned in Japan or require special approval.

Before joining Toyota in 2012, Hamp worked for PepsiCo Inc. and General Motors Co.

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