Mitsuru Asada

"I would like to offer my apologies for causing trouble to many people by abusing the program," Mitsuru Asada, former chairman of Hannan Corp., said at the Osaka District Court at the opening session of his trial.

Asada, considered the don of the meatpacking industry, admitted to conspiring with others to falsely label beef to qualify for government subsidies, which were introduced after the domestic outbreak of mad cow disease in September 2001. He also pleaded guilty to attempting to hide evidence.

Asada, 65, is one of 26 people charged in a series of crimes stemming from abuses of the beef-buyback plan. Eleven of them -- all from the meat industry in the Kansai region -- appeared in court alongside Asada, and all pleaded guilty.

According to prosecutors, Asada defrauded the government out of ¥5.03 billion from November 2001 through May 2002 by falsely labeling imported beef as domestic so he could receive money for it from the government.

Prosecutors said Asada made ¥1.34 billion out of the scam.

The Japan Times Weekly: Aug. 28, 2004
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