POLICE PLANNING TO ARREST FIRM'S MISSING PRESIDENT FOR HIS ROLE IN SHIPMENTS TO PHILIPPINES by Asahi Shimbun TOKYO, Japan, 2 March 2000 -- Police planning to arrest Nisso head over trash. The firm's missing president is wanted for his role in shipments to the Philippines. Police will soon obtain an arrest warrant for the president of an industrial waste disposal company for his role in illegal shipments of trash to the Philippines, sources said Wednesday. Police investigating the shipments made by Nisso Ltd., of Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, said the whereabouts of Hiromi Ito, 49, remain unknown, sources said. Ito is wanted on suspicion of breaking the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law. Police said Ito could also be in violation of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, which restricts the export of designated toxic waste, including used medical supplies. Investigators from the Tochigi and Nagano prefectural police suspect Ito had his company ship around 2,200 tons of waste-which included medical supplies such as hypodermic needles and IV bags-to the Philippines in July and October 1999 without the authorization of the international trade minister. The refuse was allegedly shipped as used paper. A domestic law requires exporters to obtain permission from the international trade minister when shipping toxic waste. Exports to nations not members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, like the Philippines, are restricted, regardless of the level of toxicity. Police said the waste shipped by Nisso can be classified as toxic if urine, blood or chemicals are found in it. Police said they discuss the case with officials from the International Trade, Health Ministries and the Environmental Agency about criminal proceedings. FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Basel Action Network is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a `fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond `fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. More News