冒牌日本浦燒鰻魚

Recently Yomiuri News reported the following:

中国、台灣産のウナギかば焼きを德島產と偽って販売したとして、不正競爭防止法違反に問われた德島県阿南市の水産物卸売社「アオキ淡水」社長、青木義市（６７）、同社員鳴鬼富雄（６３）両被告の判決が１４日、德島地裁であった。畑山靖裁判官は「偽裝が長期間に及び悪質だか、罪を認め反省している」として両被告にいずれも懲役２年、執行猶予４年(求刑. 懲役2年)の有罪決を言い渡した。判決では、青木、鳴鬼両被告は同地裁で有判決を受けた阿南市の食品会社社長（５９）と共謀し、２００６年６月～０８年２月、中国、台湾産ウナギかば焼き計３９トンを德島産と偽って販売。０８年３月～１２月にも、同市の食品加工会社「タカラ食品」前社長、折野直樹被告（５９）（公判中）らと共謀し、中国、台湾産ウナギかば焼きなど德島産と書いた段ボール箱に詰め、約３トンを金沢市などの業者に売った。

On 14th, a court in Tokushima handed down sentence to the director of Greenwood Freshwater and one employee for selling split and broiled eels from China and Taiwan but falsely claimed that they were from Tokushima. The judge, having considered 'the long period of cheating, and the admitting of the charge', sentenced both to two-year imprisonment. The court verdict showed that during the period from June 2006 to February 2008 the two defendants, in collaboration with the director of a food company who had been found guilty separately, sold 39 tons of eels from China and Taiwan, but falsely claimed that they were from Tokushima. Also, in 2008 from March to December they collaborated with another former food company director, now a defendant of another court case (court judgment pending), put China and Taiwan split and broiled eels into corrugated paper boxes and labeled them as product of Tokushima. About 3 tons of eels were sold to retailers in various locations.

So next time when you see eels in markets in Japan, don't be so sure that they must be a product of Japan, even if they are labeled as such.