The Tokyo District Court ordered major meat processor Itoham Foods Inc. on Thursday to pay 30 million yen over its involvement in a meat importer's evasion of customs duties on imported pork, imposing a fine three times the amount that prosecutors had demanded.
Presiding Judge Yoshinobu Iida criticized Itoham for gaining huge profits by dodging tax on pork and said the company bears a heavy responsibility. Itoham had been charged with violating the Customs Tariff Law.
Iida also said it is hard to accept the company's argument that its top management was not involved in the tariff evasion, given the scale of tax evaded.
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