Japanese company raided over nuclear export
ISN SECURITY WATCH (Monday, 13 February: 15.50 CET) – Japanese police on Monday raided Mitutoyo Corp, a high-tech precision instruments manufacturer, on suspicion that the company had illegally exported uranium enrichment equipment, news agencies reported.
News reports said the company was under suspicion of having exported three-dimension precision-measuring machines, which could be used to make centrifuge machines to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, to China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Libya.
Police also searched more than ten factories and offices of the manufacturer based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on suspicion of breaching the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law.
The company is suspected of having sold the equipment to China and Thailand in 2001 and 2002 without government authorization. Reports said that the similar equipment manufactured by Mitutoyo had turned up in Libya in 2003.
Japanese media reported that Mitutoyo’s instruments were shipped to Libya by a Malaysian company called Scomi, which has been linked to an international nuclear black market.
A senior Mitutoyo official said in statement carried by Japanese news agencies that the company was unaware that Scomi was problematic or that equipment could have been exported to Libya.
The raid on Mitutoyo comes only weeks after the launch of an investigation into the activities of Yamaha Motor manufacturer, which has been accused of illegally exporting unmanned helicopters to China.
In January 2004, a local company in Niigata prefecture illegally exported components for a large-scale washing machine that could be converted into use for nuclear development to North Korea.
(By ISN Security Watch, Reuters, BBC)
News reports said the company was under suspicion of having exported three-dimension precision-measuring machines, which could be used to make centrifuge machines to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, to China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Libya.
Police also searched more than ten factories and offices of the manufacturer based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on suspicion of breaching the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law.
The company is suspected of having sold the equipment to China and Thailand in 2001 and 2002 without government authorization. Reports said that the similar equipment manufactured by Mitutoyo had turned up in Libya in 2003.
Japanese media reported that Mitutoyo’s instruments were shipped to Libya by a Malaysian company called Scomi, which has been linked to an international nuclear black market.
A senior Mitutoyo official said in statement carried by Japanese news agencies that the company was unaware that Scomi was problematic or that equipment could have been exported to Libya.
The raid on Mitutoyo comes only weeks after the launch of an investigation into the activities of Yamaha Motor manufacturer, which has been accused of illegally exporting unmanned helicopters to China.
In January 2004, a local company in Niigata prefecture illegally exported components for a large-scale washing machine that could be converted into use for nuclear development to North Korea.
(By ISN Security Watch, Reuters, BBC)
posted by Marko at 2/13/2006 09:40:00 AM
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