Japan arrests couple on charges of smuggling 45 tons of Vietnamese rice

Osaka Prefectural Police announced the arrest of Tran Thi Thu Huyen, 36, the head of a food trading company, and her husband, Tomoyuki Takeshige, 47, on Monday, for violating customs laws, as reported by the Japan Times.

The couple, who reside in Higashi-Osaka City, operates a company that imports and sells fruits and vegetables from Vietnam.

The arrests followed an investigation into the couple's alleged involvement in a scheme with accomplices in Vietnam to load approximately 45 tons of rice into two shipping containers in June.

They are accused of evading a mandatory inspection by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture and misrepresenting the contents of the shipment as mung beans in an attempt to bypass customs regulations.

According to police, customs officers discovered 2,272 cardboard boxes of rice hidden behind boxes of mung beans when the containers were unloaded at the Osaka port on June 25, The Asahi Shimbun reported.

The couple allegedly tried to import the rice at a reduced tariff rate by falsely declaring it as mung beans. Osaka customs officials noted that while imported rice from Vietnam is taxed at 341 yen (US$2.26) per kilogram, green beans are exempt from tax.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture reveals that the average price of rice at around 1,000 supermarkets nationwide reached a record high of 4,285 yen per 5 kilograms in mid-May, about a month before the alleged smuggling attempt.

Police have not disclosed whether the couple has confessed to the charges, citing concerns that such information could hinder the ongoing investigation, according to NHK.