TOKYO: Last December 14th, Japanese law enforcers arrested three men in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture, including Yuzuru Yachida, 47, the CEO of M-Create Inc., an environmental installation company. The charges: violations of the foreign exchange law violationsspecifically, exporting without a license. They are suspected of involvement in the illegal export of foodstuffs to North Korea.
Authorities carried out searches on the company as well as related properties, such as the Chamber of Commerce of Korean Residents in Japan (Taito Ward, Tokyo Prefecture), which falls under the umbrella of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. The goods exported in this latest may be are just daily living essentials, as opposed to “strategic materials” able to be utilized in nuclear or missile development. However, Japan has implemented strict sanctions through the United Nations, and has completely prohibited all exports to North Korea, due to the latter’s continued nuclear and missile development and the increasing threat. Yet Japan remains as the procurement base, and the international community might doubt the seriousness of Japan’s commitment to implementing these sanctions especially since the illegal exports to Pyongyang have apparently been going on for years.
