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Man sentenced over nuclear arms-convertible exports to Myanmar+
November 5, 2009
AP News (Kyodo): The Yokohama District Court on Thursday sentenced a company president to two years in prison, suspended for four years, for exporting devices to Myanmar that can be converted for use in making nuclear weapons.
While giving the suspended sentence for violating the foreign trade law to Keiko Ri, 41, the court slapped 6 million yen in fines on his Tokyo-based trading house Toko Boeki.
“These (devices) could be used to produce nuclear weapons. It could have a grave impact on world peace and erode trust in our country,” Judge Juichiro Kora said.
The devices can be used to develop centrifuges that could be used to enrich uranium, a process used for nuclear weapons.
The defendant pleaded guilty.
Ri was convicted of exporting three grinding machines to Myanmar from Nagoya port, central Japan, in August and November last year without the permission of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and attempting to export a magnetic measuring instrument to Myanmar from Yokohama port via Malaysia this January.
Prosecutors had demanded two years in prison for Ri and a 7 million yen fine for his company.
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