Viral sushi licking 'terrorism' prank continues to rock Japan as three arrested

09 March 2023 , 09:59

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Some restaurants have decided to stop operating the sushi conveyor belts (Image: Getty Images)

Japanese police have arrested three people over "sushi terror", the viral unhygienic prank which is threatening sushi conveyor belt restaurants.

Last month, a teenager was captured licking the open top of a communal soy sauce bottle and rubbing saliva on passing food at a kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant.

Since then, dozens of similar videos have been filmed, sparking widespread outrage and causing restaurants to scramble to restore their reputation for cleanliness.

Police in the central Japanese city of Nagoya allege Ryoga Yoshino, 21, is responsible for licking the soy sauce and that two minors, aged 19 and 15, were also involved. Police said their actions constituted obstruction of business under Japan's Penal Code.

Kaiten-zushi restaurant serving sushi on rotating conveyor belt (stock image) (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

All of the suspects admitted to the wrongdoing, police said. One also reportedly apologised for his actions.

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Some restaurants have decided to stop operating the sushi conveyor belts altogether and staff will now bring dishes to customers directly.

In eastern Japan, the Choushimaru chain said it would stop using its conveyor belts, in all 63 of its branches, after a customer placed a cigarette butt in a jar of pickled ginger.

Japan is renowned for its ultra-high standards of cleanliness, so the "sushi terrorism" pranks have not only shocked millions around the country but also led to falls in the share prices of Sushi chains.

The Kura Sushi chain said last week it plans to fit cameras equipped with AI to monitor tables at its restaurants in an attempt to deter pranksters.

The system can reportedly detect “unusual” behaviour by customers, such as removing a plate from the conveyor belt and quickly returning it.

“Our company has been hearing from a large number of customers who tell us they no longer trust or want to go to conveyor belt sushi restaurants,” Kura Sushi’s head of public relations, Hiroyuki Okamoto, told reporters, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.

“This is a crisis not only for our stores but for the entire conveyor belt sushi industry,” Okamoto said, adding that the use of AI would reassure diners even though it meant they were effectively being placed under surveillance.

A spokesman for Kura Sushi said the viral video trend was "extremely dangerous". He continued: "Conveyor belt sushi is something we are proud of as part of Japanese culture. We want to make sure our customers can eat sushi delivered on the belt safely and comfortably."

Rachel Hagan