中國蒲燒鰻魚

Recently the Yomiuri News reported the following:

イトーヨーカ堂（東京・千代田区）が中国から輸入したウナギかば焼きの輸入者表示改ざん事件で、神奈川県警は２０日、箱の詰め替えの実行役とされる住所・職業不詳、西原健一容疑者（４７）を食品衛生法違反（虚偽表示）容疑で逮捕した。

　発表によると、西原容疑者は同じ容疑で逮捕された６人と共謀し、輸入者をイトーヨーカ堂と記した段ボール箱から、輸入者や販売者欄に「高山シーフード」（東京都三鷹市）と表示された段ボール箱にウナギかば焼きを詰め替え、２００９年６～１０月に約１５トンを計約６３４万円で販売した疑い。
　西原容疑者は、知人で高山元社員の小池信行容疑者（４７）から依頼され、宮城県気仙沼市や千葉県銚子市の水産加工会社の冷蔵庫で詰め替え作業を行ったとされ、高山側から報酬として１１７万円を受け取っていたという。これまでの任意の調べに「詰め替えた箱の一部では、（小池容疑者から）指示を受け、賞味期限の改ざんもした」と話していた。
　西原容疑者は県警の出頭要請に応じ、２０日夜、仕事で滞在した中国から成田空港に戻ったところを逮捕された。

Regarding the incident that Ito-Yokado (Tokyo Chiyoda Ward) had falsified details about the split and broiled eel imported from China by way of changing the split and broiled importer labels, on the 20th Kanagawa Prefecture Police arrested suspect Kenichi Nishihara (47) whose occupation and address were unknown, for being suspected of carrying out the refilling of boxes thus violated the Food Hygiene Law (False Marking).

According to the announcement, Nishihara the suspect together with 6 other people also arrested for conspiracy with the same suspicion of refilling the split and broiled eel into cardboard boxes that displayed "High Mountain Seafood" (Tokyo Mitaka city) in the importer and seller columns, from boxes that displayed Ito-Yokado as the importer, thus selling about 15 tons for about 6.34 million yen in total from June to October 2009.
Nishihara the suspect through an acquaintance took up the request of High Mountain's former employee Shingyou Koike suspect (47), worked at the refrigerator of a fishery processing company in both Miyagi Prefecture Kesennuma City and Chiba Prefecture Choshi City to carry out the refilling, and it was said that he had received 1.17 million yen from the High Mountain side as a reward. In the arbitrary examination up to now, it was said that "(from suspect Koike) refilled part of the boxes, such was the instruction received, and the best-before date was falsified".
On the 20th at night, following the appearance request of the prefecture Police Nishihara the suspect was arrested after returning to New Tokyo International Airport from China where he had stayed on business.

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