Japan has no recorded case of fentanyl seized, finance minister says

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday there have been no recorded cases of synthetic drug fentanyl being seized by the customs department, neither as illegal exports nor illegal imports, in six years through 2024. Kato made the comments at a regular news conference when asked about a Nikkei business daily report this week that a Chinese organisation allegedly used a base in Japan to smuggle chemicals to make fentanyl into the U.S. "Japan will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs," Kato said.