TOKYO, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Japanese police are questioning a number of people who have allegedly been involved in the sale of a radioactive material believed to be uranium, sources close to the investigation said Thursday.

The seller of the radioactive material and those who successfully bid for the material online are being questioned by the police on a voluntary basis, Tokyo police said.

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) initially contacted the police after confirming that the sale of material that might be uranium was up for sale on an auction site.

Once the material had been confiscated, authorities asked the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to confirm whether the material was depleted uranium or uranium concentrate, investigative sources said.

According to investigators, the seller procured the material, which looked like powder and was contained in glass tube, on a foreign website.

The seller then attempted to auction the substance himself under the name of "Uranium 99.9 percent" at a Yahoo online auction website.

Laws in Japan ban people from transferring nuclear materials, apart from approved businesses and organizations, and those found in violation can face a prison term for up to one year or a fine of up to 1 million yen (9,200 U.S. dollars). Enditem

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