MIYAZAKI, Japan, May 29 (Kyodo) — The image of Japan's iconic drink has taken a knock following revelations of a scam operated by one of the country's major sake breweries.

Brewery Bishonen Shuzoh Co. of Jonan, Kumamoto Prefecture, is said to have sent out high-grade rice for polishing and received back lower-grade rice that it used to make sake. It is further alleged that it received cash to make up the difference in rice quality. Bishonen President Naoaki Ogata said he could not resist the temptation to make off-the-books money because his company was in dire straits. He added that the practice existed even before he joined Bishonen in 1982.

The disclosure of the alleged scam followed an announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries last year that Osaka-based rice miller Mikasa Foods and its group firm Tatsunomi and some others were allegedly involved in illegally reselling as edible grains imported rice for industrial use. Tatsunomi is the firm named in the allegation concerning Bishomen.

Bishonen filed for rehabilitation in April with liabilities estimated at about 1.9 billion yen.

Earlier this month, the Kumamoto District Court decided to start rehabilitation procedures for the firm. The court says Bishonen has until Aug. 28 to submit a rehabilitation plan amid reports that four firms, including Shigemitsu Industry Co., known for its global ramen business, have come forward to support it.

While sake imbibers may feel betrayed by these developments, what has happened may spur the fashioning of a law of the kind found in the United States and European countries to regulate liquor quality.

Japan enacted a liquor tax law in 1953. While primarily a law to secure revenue from taxation, it also touched on the definition of alcoholic beverages -- including sake, beer and distilled liquors such as shochu. However, it did not make any stipulations concerning quality.

European countries have a history of crafting laws against the illicit production and sale of alcohol. France has especially strict laws on winemaking, and European Union laws have been modeled on these. The United States has similar laws.

Until the Edo period (1603-1867), brewers used rice, water and a "koji" mold spore to produce sake. They added alcohol during World War II to make up for the shortage of rice. But the practice continued, even during a postwar rice glut.

Some sake makers have been inclined to distance themselves from turning out pure "jummai" (pure rice) sake because they found it harder to make than sake to which distilled alcohol has been added.

It has also been pointed out that sake drinkers have grown accustomed to drinking non-jummai sake.

In Miyazaki Prefecture, there were nearly 20 sake brewing companies until the early 1970s. Now there is only one in the southwestern Japan prefecture, which is famous for shochu.

One industry analyst said shochu has triumphed over sake because sake brewers did not try hard enough to make good sake.

If Japan follows European countries and the United States in the enactment of a liquor law, sake brewers would be required to disclose the names of raw materials used in the production process. A label displayed on a bottle, thus, would be changed from "rice, koji and distilled alcohol " to "rice, koji and sato kibi (sugar cane)."

Doubtless some brewers would lament that such a law would damage the reputation of sake as a drink "made from rice." On the other hand, the scandal involving Bishonen may be symptomatic of the lax attitude of at least some sake brewers to their craft.

In the future, sake makers may have to rely increasingly on exports. If their products are to stand up to scrutiny in markets such as Europe and the United States, then sake makers must accept the need for a liquor law that truly regulates the quality of their products and restores faith in Japan's traditional tipple.