Osaka City officials have inspected a candy maker which says its gummy candies contain a cannabis-derived substance that is not regulated by Japanese law.
Osaka Mayor Yokoyama Hideyuki told a news conference on Thursday that health officials conducted the inspection at the company's factory in the city last Friday, based on the food safety law, at the request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The inspection follows a number of recent cases in Tokyo in which people fell sick and were taken to hospital after eating gummy candies made by the firm.
The label on the package says the candies contain a cannabis-derived substance called HHCH. Tokyo police have been analyzing the products to determine if the substance can be found in them.
Yokoyama said the inspectors saw a powdery substance in the factory that company officials told them was an ingredient for the gummy candies. He said the officials explained that the products contain HHCH.
The mayor said, however, that the inspectors were unable to analyze or test the substance because the city has no regulatory power in this situation.
The mayor said that if the substance in question does pose a health risk, it should be regulated by law as soon as possible. He said his city needs to work with the national government in dealing with this case.