Seafood firm head, others arrested over false labeling of eel products

Saturday 15th November, 05:25 PM JST

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15 Comments

outofmydepth at 05:37 PM JST - 15th November

i really dont think a week has gone by without a mislabeling scandal. do the japanese not care about the health and safety of their own people???? all i hear is that if they let foreginers into the country the foreigners wont follow the rules, they will upset the balance of japan. aren`t they doing it to themselves? where are the protests?? they sure protested enough for the gyoza tampering. gee - that was on tv day and night for ever!!!!!!
jerseyboy at 05:52 PM JST - 15th November

outofmydepth...the Japanese definitely care about the "health and safety of their own people", but only when it involves another country cheating or mislabeling, like the U.S. or China. When it is their own companies, then they tend to simply shrug their shoulders and move on. Afterall, that is what's good for Japan Inc.
Sammi33 at 05:58 PM JST - 15th November

How is mislabeling unsafe or unhealthy? Japanese farming and Chinese farming aren't that radically different. Japanese farmers load up their veggies with as much pesticides as the rest of the world, and with the Japanese obsession of everything having to look just perfect, I wouldn't be surprised if there is genetic engineering and the like going on. On the Japanese news they always make a big deal if something mislabeled is going into the kids school lunches, not dangerous but just mislabeled, while in other scandals there was chemical-laced rice being fed to 3-year olds, and idiot teachers feeding konnyaku jelly to toddlers as the afternoon snack. The bottom line is Japanese have this mentality that their vegetables have more nutrients and are tastier than vegetables from other countries, so they are more expensive. Dirty businessmen take advantage of it by lying to the consumer to make a few extra bucks. By the way, has the president of Ito Ham been arrested for withholding information from the public yet?
some14some at 06:01 PM JST - 15th November

Article forgot to mention...."but no health problems reported so far"...(shouganai)!
cleo at 06:06 PM JST - 15th November

I think the two posters ahead of me must be reading a different article. A set of con men got nicked. What's to complain about?

When it is their own companies, then they tend to simply shrug their shoulders and move on.

That's why these Japanese companies are being arrested and charged.

they sure protested enough for the gyoza tampering.

People were very sick in hospital, no one knew how or why. What else do you expect?

In this case there's no question (as far as I can see) of anyone's safety being threatened. No one is suggesting that the Chinese eels were dangerous in any way. It's a simply case of greed - like labelling Chateau de Plonk appellation controlle. You aren't going to die from drinking plonk, but you don't want to pay top brass for it, either.
buggerlugs at 06:58 PM JST - 15th November

I'm deeply shocked!! I can't trust Japanese food labelling? Thought only nasty gaijin countries did bad things!!
Disillusioned at 10:22 PM JST - 15th November

I'm soooo glad I don't eat that crap! I've got a mate in Australia exporting eels here and he's making a killing. I wonder if his eels are labeled as Nihon no unagi!
medievaltimes at 01:09 AM JST - 16th November

Aaaaand we have another one.
30061015 at 01:55 AM JST - 16th November

Eel greed, its what you need, to make a profit, when markets bleed. Poison eel tastes like the rest, with lost of sauce, the fish is blessed. The Chinese got more damn eel, than they can eat, so lets be real. Just scarf it down with toxic rice, cause China eel is just as nice.
wargalley20011 at 02:13 AM JST - 16th November

I guess every eel has it's day. lol
OssanAmerica at 02:46 AM JST - 16th November

Wow..people here can't tell the difference between mislabeling and false representation and labeling.....and getting sick and dying and causing a global panic.
jerseyboy at 03:41 AM JST - 16th November

Cleo..."arrested and charged"? Please, 90%+ get off with a slap on the wrist in terms of a small fine and a suspended sentence at most. What dream world version of Japan are you living in? The steel companies just got charged for like the fifth time with price fixing. Do you think for one second that will stop them from doing it again? It will only be when some significant fines -- like millions of dollars -- and some serious jail time is handed out that Japanese companies will stop this crap. Or am I just imagining that the big dairy company and Nippon Ham are still going on as strong as ever despite having been found guilty of screwing consumers?
cleo at 09:56 AM JST - 16th November

jerseyboy -

Maybe you come from a country that thinks the solution to every problem is to throw people in jail for ridiculously long periods of time or fine them into the ground, throwing employees onto the streets (Hint; Japanese fines are not paid in dollars). Well, look at the figures - that approach doesn't work, either.

This thread isn't about '90% who get off with a slap on the wrist', or steel companies; it's about people deliberately putting the wrong label on a product in order to make more profit. It isn't about "health and safety"; there is no suggestion of anyone's health being compromised, only their wallets. These people got caught. No one is shrugging their shoulders and moving on. You're complaining simply for the sake of complaining.

I'm not saying that the Japanese are little angels when it comes to business practices. Obviously there are problems, including the ones you mention. But methinks you and some others are simply looking for an opportunity to Japan-bash. In this case there isn't one, unless you want to bash the people who did the false labelling. I'll join you in doing that.
ptolemy at 03:03 PM JST - 16th November

I think they meant to label them Veal. Of course these guys are greedy, the purpose they had was turn a profit. They understood with all the scandals an honest label of "Product of China" would be snubbed. If they hadn't got caught, they would still be mislabeling. We don't need label control, we need business practice control. Fine firms like this through the nose. Jail wouldn't mean anything, because they would be sent to resort prisons, and they can afford lawyers who get them off or a slap of suspended sentence. Hit them where they'll feel it, the wallet. When they have to tell friends, "Man be honest, I got fined 100 mil yen. You just can't afford to lie any more." Then we could possibly see an end to blatantly dishonest labels.
BBLeo at 03:40 PM JST - 16th November

If no one was ill because of their food, give them mwarning and let them go. They are not the only ones doing that. Police should chase the realo crooks that are using 'melamine.' This company is not Merchant of Death.' Perhaps hungry for money, but in nowadays who isn't.