Japanese police raided Hitachi Electronics Ltd. on Aug. 7 because of suspected involvement in the illegal export of precision measuring equipment to China, according to wire reports.
The Metropolitan Police Department searched more than 20 sites, including Hitachi headquarters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward and the homes of company officials. They were looking for evidence that Hitachi may have violated foreign trade control law through its involvement with Ryokosha Co., a Japanese precision instrument wholesaler that allegedly exported 18 machines manufactured by Hitachi to China, using South Korea as an intermediary.
The machines, delivered in December 1996, are capable of micron-size measurements when used with lasers. They are classified by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry as instruments that could be used in the development of nuclear weapons. Ryokosha, which suggested the development of the machines, is under an exclusive sales contract with Hitachi.