Japan’s various conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, called Kaitenzushi, made headlines for all the wrong reasons last month. A video of unhygienic pranks at a popular rotation sushi chain, Kura Sushi, disgusted people and caused a big stir. Not only did the clip of the thoughtless prank prompt multiple complaints to restaurant chains, but it also led to their stock price tumbling. Local police have now arrested the young trio who posted a video where they are performing unsavoury acts such as grabbing a piece of sushi with bare hands and drinking soy sauce from a communal bottle.
The three are seen spraying sanitiser on other people’s food, and even applying spit on the sushi as it passes by. You can check out the video that went viral last month here but beware, it might dissuade you from ever trying the famous Kaitenzushi.
Viral “sushi terror” pranks are making restaurants in Japan question whether or not conveyor belts are a good idea.🫢 pic.twitter.com/yI3pqejbSV— LX News (@NBCLX) March 10, 2023
According to reports from AFP, local law enforcement officials confirmed that three individuals, from the central Aichi region, were apprehended on Thursday. A police representative stated that 21-year-old Ryoga Yoshino and a 15-year-old girl, who remains unidentified, were taken into custody on Wednesday, March 8, while the third member of the group, a 19-year-old man whose identity was not disclosed, was detained last month.
Kura Sushi operates nearly 500 outlets in Japan. It has welcomed the arrests and issued a statement saying, “We sincerely hope the arrests will spread awareness in society that these pranks, which fundamentally undermine our system based on a relationship of trust with customers, are a crime, and that there will be no copycat acts in the future," according to AFP.
Other chains, including Sushiro, have also been affected by similar incidents, leading to a drop in stock prices. It’s clear that Japan, known for its high standards of cleanliness, takes these issues seriously, and the potential three-year prison term for “forcible obstruction of business" highlights the severity of the situation.
Despite the trio being apprehended, it appears that some damage might already have been done. At the time the video went viral, several people voiced the seed of doubt that has forever been sown deep into their minds regarding the hygiene of such places.
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