Three individuals, including a Chinese national company executive in Fukuoka, have been arrested on suspicion of violating Japan’s Customs Act. They allegedly misrepresented the export destination of approximately 30 tons of frozen Wagyu beef, valued at around ¥240 million, as Cambodia when the actual destination was Hong Kong.
According to authorities, Hong Kong-bound Wagyu must be processed at certified meat facilities meeting strict hygiene standards, with official export quarantine certificates required. By falsely declaring Cambodia as the destination, the suspects avoided these requirements and unloaded the shipments in Hong Kong.
Customs records indicate that over the past five years, the suspects allegedly made 50 such false declarations, amounting to approximately ¥2.7 billion in exports. Police are investigating further, suspecting this method was used repeatedly to reduce export costs. The suspects’ statements have not been disclosed.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries reports that Hong Kong’s demand for Japanese Wagyu has quadrupled over the past decade, leading to an increase in similar fraudulent export cases nationwide. Source: NHK
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