Across China: Shanghai

Firm manager sentenced

Tanaka Yutaka, 65, general manager of a popular Japan-based health products firm, was sentenced to four years in prison for smuggling goods and avoiding taxes of nearly 4 million yuan ($580,000), Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court announced yesterday.

According to the verdict, Phiten International Trade (Shanghai) Co Ltd will pay a fine of 1.2 million yuan and its three importers were fined 1.4 million yuan. Another employee of Phiten was also given imprisonment of three years with four years reprieve, and an employee of an importer was sentenced to three years with five years reprieve.