A Japanese company is suspected of illegally exporting nuclear-related machine tools

The Japanese police task force searched a machine tool manufacturing and sales company in Hiroshima Prefecture on July 31. The company is suspected of exporting machine tools that can be used to make nuclear weapons without government permission. The police raided the Horkos company headquarters and more than 10 offices, and took away a large amount of information. The machine tools suspected of being illegally exported can produce centrifuge components used in uranium enrichment activities. This machine tool can perform CNC operations such as punching and punching. According to Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law, this machine tool is an export product controlled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan and must be approved by the government before it can be exported. Japan's Jiji News Agency quoted unnamed officials as saying that Horkos exported several of these machine tools to South Korea without permission in 2004, which may be resold to third countries.