Three arrested over "sushi terrorism" in Japan amid wave of unhygenic stunts at conveyor-belt restaurants
9 March 2023, 15:48 | Updated: 9 March 2023, 16:00
Japanese police have arrested three people over so-called "sushi terrorism" amid of spate of viral videos showing customers performing unhygienic pranks at conveyor-belt restaurants.
Clips circulating on social media showing customers interfering with food in some of the country's conveyor-belt sushi restaurants have provoked widespread disgust, and caused shares in some venues to plummet.
In one video, a man is seen licking the top of a soy sauce bottle on a conveyor belt and squashing sushi dishes at a Kura Sushi restaurant branch.
In another, which was filmed at a Sushiro chain outlet, a customer is seen rubbing saliva onto pieces of sushi as they pass.
Thee three individuals arrested were all part of the same group of diners and have been arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, the Kyodo news agency reports.
According to the agency, the arrests are believed to be the first for customers suspected of behaviour that is "deemed unhygienic and a form of harassment".
Police in the central Japanese city of Nagoya allege that Ryoga Yoshino, 21, licked a communal soy sauce bottle at a Kura Sushi conveyor-belt sushi restaurant on February 3.
Two minors aged 19 and 15 were also allegedly involved. Police said their actions constituted obstruction of business under the Penal Code.
All suspects admitted to their involvement, the force said, and one of them reportedly apologised over the incident.
Kura Sushi said it appreciated the police's "swift response" SoraNews24 reported.
In a statement it said: "Such inconsiderate action... shakes the foundations of the relationship of trust we have built with our customers, and we sincerely hope that broad knowledge that such actions are a crime will prevent others from engaging in such behaviour."
It said it would be installing cameras above conveyor belts to monitor diners.
In March, the Sushiro chain updated its service rules, asking diners to collect utensils and condiments from a serving point rather than putting them on individual tables.
The disgusting online craze has also forced several conveyor-belt sushi chains - known locally as kaitenzushi - to issue public appeals urging diners not to tamper with their food.
Some establishments have even decided to stop using the sushi train altogether.
In eastern Japan, the Choushimaru chain said it would no longer use its conveyor belts after a customer placed a cigarette butt in a jar of pickled ginger.
