A court in north China's Hebei Province on July 30 opened a trial for a man who allegedly added poison to frozen dumplings that sickened 10 people in Japan in 2008.

In January 2008, Japanese media reported that 10 people fell ill after consuming frozen meat dumplings produced by the Tianyang Food Plant based in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei.

The plant was investigated by both Chinese and Japanese authorities shortly after the incident, but no problems were found.

In March 2010, suspect Lyu Yueting was detained by Chinese police. Lyu worked in the factory between April 1993 and October 2009.

Lyu confessed to injecting pesticide into frozen dumplings between October and December 2007 because he was dissatisfied with his salary and did not get along with some of his co-workers, the procuratorate said.

After a three-hour trial, the court said a verdict will be announced on a later date.

According to Chinese law, the death penalty can be handed down to those found guilty of deploying dangerous substances if their actions cause serious injury, death or the loss of property.