Japan firm raided over China nuclear exports

A Japanese manufacturer was raided by the police on Monday on suspicion of illegally exporting goods that could be used for producing nuclear weapons.

Mitutoyo, a precision equipment maker, allegedly exported three-dimensional measuring instruments to Thailand and China in 2001, according to the Japanese media. The machines can be used to manage uranium enrichment centrifuges, a key technology in the production of nuclear weapons.

A ministry of trade official confirmed the police raid but said it was too early to tell whether the government would file a criminal complaint against the company.

An investigation into Mitutoyo began after the International Atomic Energy Agency inspected nuclear-related facilities in Libya from late 2003 to early 2004. Similar types of instruments manufactured by Mitutoyo were found in Libya during those inspections, according to the Japanese media. Libya is believed to have obtained Mitutoyo’s products through the black market after the company exported them to Malaysia in 2001.

Mitutoyo could not be reached for comment – a telephone recording said the company had closed for the day.

The raid comes on the heels of an investigation being launched into Yamaha Motor, the world’s second-biggest motorcycle maker. Last month, the Japanese government filed a criminal complaint against Yamaha Motor for illegally exporting unmanned helicopters to China that could potentially be used as weapons of mass destruction.

The suspected illegal exports come as Tokyo repeatedly expresses concern about China’s growing military clout. Taro Aso, Japan's foreign minister, in December called China a "considerable threat", the most direct articulation yet of Tokyo's unease at Beijing's continuing military build-up.

Japan’s four-decade-old arms export ban is regulated by the foreign exchange and foreign trade law, which prohibits the sale overseas of a range of products that can be classified as “arms”, ranging from ammunition to biopolymers.

The export of weapons and equipment for arms production is controlled by the ministry of trade, which requires export licences to all destinations.

Companies that illegally export items that can be used in weapons of mass destruction can be banned from making any exports for three to six months, according to the trade ministry.

Companies that fall foul of the law tend to be smaller organisations that do not have in-house lawyers or are are not familiar with the rules, as the onus to apply for a licence is on the company.

In January 2004 a local company in Niigata prefecture illegally exported to North Korea components for a large-scale washing machine that could be converted into use for nuclear development.