Japanese official says contamination of Chinese dumplings probably deliberate

Japan's health minister says pesticide-laced Chinese dumplings that sickened at least 10 people in Japan and triggered a nationwide scare were probably poisoned deliberately

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The frozen dumplings, produced by China's Tianyang Food Processing Ltd., were contaminated with the pesticide methamidophos and blamed for a string of poisonings in December and January. Investigators have found traces of the pesticide on the outside of the dumplings, rather than on the filling. The poison was also found in much higher concentrations than would be expected from residue from pesticides sprayed on vegetables. Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe says that points to deliberate poisoning, rather than accidental contamination. As Masuzoe spoke, a Japanese government delegation started an investigation in China, where they were meeting with their counterparts. The group plans to visit the dumpling factory where the food was produced. ``Judging from the circumstantial evidence, we'd have to think that it's highly likely to be a crime,'' Masuzoe said. ``That means we must let police investigate, and I hope the case would be resolved through our cooperation with China.'' About 20 top police investigators from the areas where the poisonings took place gathered in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss the dumpling probe. Tsuyoshi Yoneda, head of the Criminal Affairs Bureau at the National Police Agency, said at the meeting that the case is a ``serious threat to the food safety in our country.'' ``We are facing an extremely serious case,'' he said. The contamination set off a nationwide scare last week and over the weekend. In addition to the 10 confirmed victims, more than 1,200 people have reported becoming ill after eating Tianyang products, though no link with the pesticide in the additional cases has been proven. Authorities have ordered the recall of millions of bags of dumplings and other foods made by Tianyang, while many stores and restaurants in Japan have stopped offering Chinese products altogether. Traces of the insecticide were found in the dumplings, on the packaging and in the vomit of the 10 people who were sickened. Investigators in western Japan also found traces on six bags of the dumplings recalled over the weekend. Punctures were found in a handful of the bags that were recalled or tied to poisonings. China's product safety agency conducted tests on the ingredients of Tianyang dumplings from the same batch sent to Japan, but found none of the insecticide cited by Japanese authorities. Some Japanese officials urged caution against jumping to conclusions about the source of the contamination. Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said hasty remarks could easily damage fragile bilateral relations with China, which have improved since 2006 after years of tension. ``We should stay calm at least on the government level in order to pursue our investigation,'' Komura said.

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