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ACCOMPLICE GETS 3 YEARS FOR TOXIC WASTE EXPORT TO UTSUNOMIYA, JAPAN

Kyodo via COMTEX

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan, 12 March 2002 -- The Utsunomiya District Court on Tuesday sentenced a Japanese trader to three years in prison for exporting garbage containing hazardous materials to the Philippines in 1999 together with a Japanese waste-disposal company. Katsuhiro Mizuguchi, 64, who was head of a Philippines-based trading house, was found guilty of shipping 2,160 tons of waste containing such materials as disposable plastic syringes, diapers and sanitary napkins to the Philippines along with Nisso Ltd. in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, in violation of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law.

Presiding Judge Kenichi Hiruma said the accused "disdained" the Asian country and "damaged its confidence in Japan." Hiruma also said Mizuguchi's denial of the charges against him showed that he does not regret his actions and that he was trying to shift the blame onto others. The ruling was in line with the prosecutors' demand. According to the ruling, Mizuguchi conspired with Nisso President Hiromi Ito, 52, to export the garbage to the Philippines from a Tokyo port in July and October 1999 without obtaining permission from the Japanese government.

They falsely claimed that the waste shipped to the country was "recyclable paper." The defense lawyers insisted that Mizuguchi only helped Nisso go through export procedures and that he was not an accomplice. However, the ruling found that Mizuguchi played a role in the scheme, saying he made sure that garbage containing mostly waste paper was placed near the doors of containers to pass the waste off as recyclable paper. The Japanese government eventually shipped back the waste from the Philippines to Japan. Ito still stands trial on charges of illegal waste export.

2002 Kyodo News (c) Established 1945

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