The FBI teaches you lie detection, people reading and intelligence skills

Chapter 68 High-Tech: Unexpectedly Obtained Information (3)
In today's high-tech world, intelligence collection is intensifying, and competition is everywhere, even down to the genetic field. The FBI tells such a case.

On May 2001, 5, the Ohio jury handed over the indictment against two Japanese researchers, Taku Okamoto and Hiroaki Serizawa, to the Federal District Prosecutor's Office in the northern part of the state, accusing the two Japanese from Cleveland Hospital in Ohio Stolen drug samples for the treatment of Alzheimer's syndrome (senile dementia) and related deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) samples, and brought the stolen items back to RIKEN.The indictment believes that the actions of the two Japanese violated the United States' "Economic Intelligence Officers Act."Inspector Sweeney of the Northern Federal District Prosecutor's Office issued a statement saying that 9% of RIKEN's funds are allocated by the Japanese government, and the case may develop into a diplomatic issue between Japan and the United States.Currently, Washington has asked Japan to extradite the researcher Taku Okamoto who has returned to China.

Brain science research is a field of fierce competition in the world of science and technology, and the brain science research involved in the case is one of the focuses.As early as 1990, the U.S. government formulated the "Brain Decade Plan".For this reason, the United States invests a large amount of research funds in brain science research every year. At present, the United States has formed a huge research team of 25000 people in this area.At the same time, in 1991, Europe established the "Brain Decade" Committee, and in 1997, Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research established the Brain Science Comprehensive Research Center.It can be seen that all countries are trying to seize the commanding heights in this field.

As far as Alzheimer's syndrome research is concerned, Heidelberg University in Germany and Harvard University in the United States are leaders in Europe and the United States, and Cleveland Hospital in the United States is also a well-known research institution in this field. has been left far behind.So Japan is doing everything possible to catch up with Europe and the United States in the field of post-genetics.In 1999, Japan issued a basic strategy for the biological industry, increasing the budget for biological gene research to 2600 billion yen, and in 2000 to 3000 billion yen. In 2001, the research and development expenses of 13 major pharmaceutical manufacturers in Japan increased by 6% compared with the previous year, and the total amounted to 6000 billion yen.In terms of the number of biotechnology patents, Japan is also quickly catching up. In 1995, the number of biotechnology patents registered in Japan was 672 in the United States, accounting for 42%, and 576 in Japan, accounting for 36%. In 1999, the number of patent registrations in Japan reached 1076, accounting for 45%, and 908 in the United States, accounting for 38%. The overall ratio dropped to [-]%.

One of the two Japanese accused was Hiroaki Serizawa, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Kansas in the United States.The indictment said Okamoto and Serizawa worked together for more than a year to plan the theft.

The two suspects involved can be said to be elites in Japan's high-tech field.Okamoto Takuo is 40 years old and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo. In July 1999, he entered the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research of Japan.In RIKEN, Takuo Okamoto served as the head of the Genetic Research Group of the Brain Science Comprehensive Research Center, because he discovered that the "β-amyloid protein" that causes Alzheimer's disease is closely related to a certain cell membrane and has a high reputation internationally.From January 7 to July 1997, Takuo Okamoto was engaged in research on the pathology and treatment of Alzheimer's disease at the Cleveland Clinic. While serving as the deputy director of neuroscience at the institute, he also served as an associate professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics at Ohio State University.
The other suspect, Hiroaki Serizawa, is 39 years old this year. He graduated from Meiji Pharmaceutical University in Japan and later studied at the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. Transferred to the University of Kansas Medical Center as an associate professor. In the mid-1991s, Taku Okamoto and Hiroaki Serizawa met in Boston, USA as researchers engaged in molecular biology research, and became friends.

From the night of July 1999 to the dawn of July 7, 8, Takuo Okamoto and another doctor sneaked into the Rana Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic of Cleveland Hospital in Ohio under the cover of night, and stole DNA samples and reagents related to Alzheimer's disease. Walk.In order to cover up his theft, Okamoto refilled the test tubes containing the samples with water to disguise the stolen items.After succeeding, Okamoto packed the stolen items in four boxes and deposited them at the residence of Serizawa Hiroaki, who lives in Kansas.On July 9, 4, he himself resigned from his job at the Rana Institute of Cleveland Hospital, returned to Japan, and joined the Institute of Physics and Chemistry. In August 1999, Taku Okamoto came to the United States again, took out the deposit box from Serizawa Hiroaki, brought it back to Japan, and handed it over to the Japan Institute of Physical and Chemical Research.Obviously, this was a premeditated and planned theft.

Cleveland Hospital's Rana Institute reported the theft to the FBI immediately after discovering the items had been stolen.US investigators then questioned Hiroaki Serizawa, but Hiroaki Serizawa, who had prepared in advance, gave false testimony.

According to the Japanese Consulate General in Kansas City, on September 1999, 9, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Hiroaki Serizawa on charges of helping to illegally transport stolen goods and making perjury.After negotiations, Hiroaki Serizawa was released on bail with a bond of 9 US dollars.The FBI has also issued an arrest warrant for Takuo Okamoto, who has returned to Japan.Currently, the US side is negotiating with Japan on the extradition of Takuo Okamoto.

The case has cost the Rana Institute $200 million, according to estimates by the FBI's Cleveland bureau, and has forced the institute's Alzheimer's research to a halt.

After the case happened, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Japan Institute of Physical and Chemical Research also set up investigation teams to investigate Takuo Okamoto's laboratory and inspect his experimental samples, but Takuo Okamoto denied the accusation against him. .At the same time, the RIKEN also claimed that although Takuo Okamoto was researching Alzheimer's disease and the development of new drugs for treatment, the methods he used were completely different from those of the Rana Institute, and he did not bring back any samples from the United States to hand over. Institute of Physics and Chemistry.Yasuo Fukuda, Secretary-General of the Japanese Cabinet, said solemnly at the press conference: "The U.S. authorities are investigating this case, and it is inconvenient for us to express any opinions."

"Nihon Keizai Shimbun" pointed out in the analysis of the case of genetic intelligence personnel that the United States has taken a tough attitude this time because it intends to occupy the life science market that will be worth tens of trillions of yen by 2020.And Japan's research in this area is also very active.The report pointed out that by 2025, there will be as many as 2000 million people with dementia worldwide.Since the Bush era in 1990, the United States has launched a policy of brain research for 10 years, paying close attention to the results of brain research.

Alzheimer's syndrome is a type of senile dementia. Patients suffer from dementia due to the death of brain nerve cells. In severe cases, even their relatives cannot recognize it. The "like protein" remains in the brain and causes the disease by suffocating nerve cells to death.

At present, there are about 1500 million people with Alzheimer's syndrome in the world, about 150 million people in Japan, and about 400 million people in the United States.With the increasing aging trend of society, the number of patients with this disease will increase, and it is estimated that the total number of patients in the world will reach more than 2025 million by 2000.

With the current diagnosis and treatment technology, there is no specific drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's syndrome.Japan is very active in its research and drug development.A Japanese pharmaceutical company has developed a new drug called "Alisept" for the treatment of this disease with its own technology. It was first launched in Europe and the United States in 1997 and sold in Japan in 1999. By the first quarter of this year, the sales volume reached 700 billion. JPY.The biological field will become an important source of creating new industries in the 21st century.It is estimated that the market size of biological gene products can reach hundreds of trillions of yen.Faced with the temptation of this huge market, all countries are salivating.Intense competition to develop new drugs for Alzheimer's disease
The United States regards high-tech industries such as biology, aerospace, information industry, and semiconductors as the lifeblood of national development, and incorporates these fields into its national security system.The Bush administration is more sensitive to security in this field, and the United States will never easily give up its monopoly position in the high-tech field.

When Takuo Okamoto said he would resign and return to Japan, the Cleveland Clinic had repeatedly persuaded him to stay.Because it is agreed to return to China, the research funding invested in Takuo Okamoto will be wiped out, and an outstanding talent in the field of brain science will also be lost.After many attempts to persuade them to stay without hope, the two parties began to negotiate around the employment contract, which resulted in conflicts and confrontations.

Intellectual property awareness differs greatly between the US and Japan.The United States implemented the Bay Dole Act in 1980, which stipulates that when government funds are used for research, the research results must be owned by the unit.In fact, when a researcher signs an employment contract with a scientific research institution, it is equivalent to transferring the ownership of his future research results to the employer.Of course, scientific research institutions in the United States do not completely restrict the mutual use of scientific research materials and data.For example, the National Institutes of Health of the United States also encourages the transfer of non-patented biological materials free of charge.However, when it is transferred out, the ownership of the materials belongs to the National Institutes of Health, and the user can only use them for scientific research, not for commercial development, and cannot transfer the materials to a third party.Professors and researchers in American universities and public institutions are not civil servants, and they all have employment contracts.Therefore, their notes in the laboratory cannot be taken out of the laboratory casually.Research institutions or companies in the United States sign corresponding contracts when recruiting researchers from the outside. The contract clearly stipulates that the patent rights belong to the employer.

In Japan, however, there are no American-style regulations, and it is very common for Japanese scientific researchers to bring test samples to new workplaces.Japan has a culture of free exchange of information, and they believe that excessive secrecy will hinder the development of research.A survey of whether there are contracts for research resources between research institutions and employed researchers shows that Japanese universities or research institutes do not have such contracts, while Japanese companies have contracts in this regard.This also shows the backwardness of Japanese public institutions in the management of research resources.Therefore, many Japanese people say that what is very common "common sense" in Japan has become a "crime" in the United States.

In the United States, Taku Okamoto and Hiroaki Serizawa are guilty of economic intelligence agents, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.Facing the huge market in the 21st century, whoever can occupy the main share will win the final victory in the competition.Therefore, the struggle between containment and anti-containment will be long-term and protracted.

(End of this chapter)