THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2009/6/12
The president of a Nagoya-based glue manufacturer was arrested Friday on suspicion of selling rice tainted with illegal levels of pesticide for use in food products, police said.
A joint investigative team formed by Aichi and Mie prefectural police arrested Toshinori Asai, 57, president of Asai, over allegations he violated the Food Sanitation Law.
Investigators also searched the offices of Nonogaki Kokuhan, a rice dealer based in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, and four other businesses. Police said they are questioning officials of the companies to clarify who was involved during the multiple-layer stages of illegal distribution of the rice.
The rice was found to contain traces of pesticide methamidophos that exceeded the permissible level of 0.01 parts per million for residue pesticides.
The grain is believed to have reached 22 companies in 10 prefectures, although no illnesses were reported from the tainted rice.
Asai acknowledged to police that he sold the rice to Nonogaki, but he denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not think the grain would be used for human consumption, police said.
He said he sold the rice in a desperate attempt to obtain operating funds, police said.
The president of Nonogaki Kokuhan, which resold the rice to other companies, told police he was not aware the rice was tainted.
According to police, Asai is suspected of selling about 270 kilograms of Chinese glutinous rice, deemed unfit for human consumption, for 50 yen a kilogram to Nonogaki between May and August 2007.
The rice in question was part of the 570 tons of rice the company sold to Nonogaki. Asai's company had bought the rice in five installments between December 2006 and May 2007 from the government for 5 to 6 yen a kilogram.
The glue maker made a profit of about 18.6 million yen through the sale.
After Nonogaki resold the tainted glutinous rice, most of the grain ended up being used in rice cracker production or school lunches.
Investigators also inspected 16 tons of rice left unused in a warehouse of a Shizuoka-based rice dealer and confirmed methamidophos levels of 0.02 to 0.03 ppm, two to three times above the permissible level.
Asai's arrest is part of a larger scandal in which businesses bought tainted or moldy imported rice from the agriculture ministry and resold the grain for use in food products.
The scandal surfaced in September last year. At least four companies, including Asai and Osaka-based rice dealer Mikasa Foods Co., have been accused of involvement in illegally diverting the rice.
Mikasa Foods is accused of allowing 1,407.5 tons of tainted rice to enter the market from 2004. The rice was distributed to 530 locations. It was used in sake production at major breweries and also served in lunches at schools and hospitals.
The scandal led to the resignations of then farm minister Seiichi Ota and vice agriculture minister Toshiro Shirasu, who took responsibility for the ministry's lack of oversight and failed inspections of the rice.(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2009)