Radioactive uranium traded online in Japan, police say

[steven36]

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Radioactive uranium was traded online in Japan, and police say investigation of the suspects is ongoing, according to multiple press reports.

 

 

 

The Mainichi Shimbun reported Thursday the uranium changed hands in January 2018 from one seller to multiple buyers. The defendants are suspected of "possibly" violating laws on nuclear regulation.

 

The transaction took place on Yahoo! Japan's online auction space, according to Kyodo News.

 

The confiscated chemical was sold in powder and solid forms in glass cases and was emitting radiation, reports say.

 

The seller, an unidentified man, reportedly told police the uranium was obtained from a "foreign site," but did not disclose the radioactive powder's national origin.

 

Appraisals from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency indicate the uranium was likely depleted uranium -- a type with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium -- or possibly uranium concentrate, also known as yellowcake. Yellowcake emits radiation at a slow rate.

 

Tatsujiro Suzuki, a professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at Nagasaki University, said the substance that was seized likely emitted low levels of radiation. But he also said the spread of the material poses grave risks, and could have unintended consequences if it finds its way into the hands of "terrorists."

 

Japan maintains tough laws against the trade of nuclear material, with punishment ranging from a one-year prison term to about $10,000 in fines.

 

Police launched investigations as early as November 2017, when it learned of an advertisement for the product, according to Kyodo.

 

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[The AchieVer]

Japan investigates alleged uranium online auction

 

 

The uranium was offered on a Yahoo auction site

Japanese police are investigating how a substance thought to be uranium was offered in an online auction. 

The seller and several bidders have been taken in for questioning, local media citing sources in the investigation say.

The product packed in a glass tube was offered as "Uranium 99.9%" in an auction on Yahoo. 

According to the Kyodo news agency, a first test of the powder suggested it was radioactive. 

The online auction was brought to the attention of the country's nuclear regulation authority in 2017.

The agency thought the material was likely to be depleted uranium and uranium powder, the Mainichi reports. 

The paper also says the seller claims to have bought the substance on a website outside Japan.

The agency contacted Yahoo over the surprising sale, the auction was stopped and the case referred to the police. 

It is not confirmed whether the material was indeed uranium and if so whether it was enriched. 

The sale of nuclear fuel materials is prohibited in Japan and according to local media can lead to up to one year in prison.

 

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