Most of the 20-odd tons of the radioactive substance monazite that disappeared after being purchased by the former head of a trading firm was probably sold to a man in Toba, Mie Prefecture, investigative sources said Thursday.
According to police, Hiroshi Ikeda, 84, now head of a foundation under the jurisdiction of the Education Ministry, as well as others being questioned, are telling investigators that the monazite in question was sold to a former hotel operator in the city.
The Metropolitan Police Department dispatched officers to the Toba area to attempt to locate the buyer and track down the substance. Once the missing monazite is found, authorities said they would measure the radioactivity of the material as well as the area where it has been stored.