I do not think that is correct. The HOWA semi-auto shotguns are quite different internally from the Weatherby.
I may be wrong, but I believe Nikko and KTG made them, in Japan, of course. The model number 82 was not around very long at all and IIRC it was just a name change in 1982 and they were not even made for five years after the change. They were cheap but not prone to trouble.
I sold one here about four or five years ago, but I do not remember what it sold for.