Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
Dollar Near Two-Week High as Stock Rout, AI Concerns and Global Events Drive Market Volatility 
Minnesota Judge Rejects Bid to Halt Trump Immigration Enforcement in Minneapolis 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
Newly Released DOJ Epstein Files Expose High-Profile Connections Across Politics and Business 
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration Move to End TPS for Haitian Immigrants 
California Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Authority on Sable Offshore Pipelines 
Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Approval of AI Chatbots Allowing Sexual Interactions With Minors 
Supreme Court Tests Federal Reserve Independence Amid Trump’s Bid to Fire Lisa Cook 
Trump Administration Sued Over Suspension of Critical Hudson River Tunnel Funding 
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Gold Prices Slide Below $5,000 as Strong Dollar and Central Bank Outlook Weigh on Metals 
Court Allows Expert Testimony Linking Johnson & Johnson Talc Products to Ovarian Cancer 
Dow Hits 50,000 as U.S. Stocks Stage Strong Rebound Amid AI Volatility 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
The clam harvest figure in Kumamoto Prefecture didn’t add up to a ministry's survey, raising suspicions that clams from South Korean and Chinese waters were being passed off as locally caught.
Kumamoto Prefecture is renowned for producing some of Japan’s plumpest and tastiest “asari.”
Consequently, shipments of local “tennen-iki asari” clams harvested in local waters will be suspended for about two months, effective Feb. 8 while an investigation by the central government into false labeling is being sought.
During the suspension period, prefectural authorities will ask retailers to check the origin of clams sold as “produced in Kumamoto.”
Kumamoto Governor Ikuo Kabashima emphasized that there will be no future for the Kumamoto brand unless falsification issues are rooted out immediately.
He added that the Kumamoto federation of fisheries cooperative associations will cooperate in the prefectural government’s efforts.
A Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries survey on sales of fresh clams at supermarkets nationwide released Feb. 1 revealed that the volume of clams on offer as “produced in Kumamoto” far exceeded the annual haul in Kumamoto Prefecture.
From October to December last year, the ministry targeted around 1,000 supermarkets that operate in multiple prefectures, including Tokyo, for investigation on suspicions of false labeling of fresh clams.
Based on the findings, 3,111 tons, or 99.1 percent, of 3,138 tons of clams sold during the period were sold as “domestically produced,” with 2,485 tons, or 79.2 percent, being labeled as coming from Kumamoto Prefecture.
But the annual tonnage of clams in 2020 harvested in Japan as a whole came to 4,400 tons, of which clams produced in Kumamoto Prefecture came to a mere 21 tons.
About 35,000 tons of clams were imported from China and South Korea that year.
The findings prompted the ministry to purchase 31 packages of clams labeled as produced in Kumamoto Prefecture for DNA testing.
It discovered that all but one of the packages contained clams originating from China or South Korea.
The ministry also vowed to investigate distribution routes through on-site inspections of wholesalers to determine if laws were broken.
The ministry notified supply chain organizations such as supermarkets and fishery wholesale companies to thoroughly check the origin of their purchases.
