Police on Wednesday searched dozens of firms across Japan over an alleged operation that imported freshwater clams from North Korea and sold them as products from elsewhere, investigative sources said.
They searched firms in Yamaguchi, Ibaraki, Saitama, and Fukuoka prefectures over suspicions they fraudulently labeled and sold the North Korean clams, in violation of the unfair competition prevention law, according to the sources.
Japanese government sanctions against North Korea ban all trade with the country.
The clams were allegedly sold as domestic products or Russian imports.
