Japanese A-bomb making devices found in Libya

[Taro Toporific]

Via Charko's weblog
Restricted Japanese devices found in Libya nuclear facilityThe Japan Times (September 9, 2004) :
The government is investigating the discovery of restricted Japanese precision instruments in a nuclear facility in Libya... The International Atomic Energy Agency found the instruments, which can be exported only under strict control, during inspections between December and March ...
The instruments are typically used to precisely measure the size and three-dimensional shape of machinery parts. It is made by a manufacturer based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture...

[Charles]

This sounds familiar. There's always some asshole ready to make a quick buck bootlegging restricted technology to produce megaweapons. These guys were on the fringe, but I'm sure they made their money too. I'll just bet you the devices were made and sold by Toshiba.

Anyone remember the old Toshiba incident from the 80s? Toshiba bought restricted CAD/CAM CNC software produced in the US, under strict license and not for resale. Toshiba turned around and illegally resold the software to a European CNC company, with full knowledge that the CNC machines were to be delivered to the Russians for military purposes. The particular specialty of this software was designing and milling non-cavitating submarine propellers. The US Navy was always able to track Russian subs by the sound of their propellers cavitating. But over the process of a few months, Soviet subs props were upgraded and within a year, the US had almost completely lost its ability to track them. The US Navy spent billions researching methods to regain their tracking ability. Toshiba sold out the US for a paltry few hundred thou, and the US had to spend billions to regain their technological edge.

I've never bought a Toshiba product since this incident. As far as I'm concerned, Toshiba personally owes me reimbursement for my increased taxes.

[dimwit]

This sounds familiar. There's always some asshole ready to make a quick buck bootlegging restricted technology to produce megaweapons. These guys were on the fringe, but I'm sure they made their money too. I'll just bet you the devices were made and sold by Toshiba.

Just as a total coincidence, I saw on Discovery a special about Thomas J. Watson of IBM


and his profiteering from the Nazis in WWII so I can only conclude that the Japanese learned the lessons of American Industry all too well.