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Takeshi Niinami said he never used the products in Japan, where officials are investigating whether they are banned under the country’s strict drug laws.

By River Akira Davis and Kiuko Notoya

Reporting from Tokyo

The former Suntory chairman Takeshi Niinami, who resigned this week over allegations that he bought a supplement that could be illegal in Japan, has declared his innocence, saying he used the product to cope with jet lag and had never taken it within Japan’s borders.