Conveyor belt sushi, or kaitenzushi, restaurants in Japan have been under siege in recent weeks due to a wave of “sushi terrorism” attacks that are eroding public confidence in the cleanliness of such establishments.
The acts have been dubbed #sushitero and #sushiterrorism online and depict various perpetrators putting their mouths on shared soy sauce bottles and touching or licking plates of food as they descend on the treadmill – only to be eaten by a unsuspecting customer on the line.
Other videos showed pranksters putting wasabi on passing sushi, stealing pieces from plates as they passed, and putting common spoons for matcha powder in their mouths.
The recent increase in unhygienic pranks has caused public concern. Some Japanese said they think twice before visiting conveyor belt restaurants.
Conveyor belt sushi franchises across Japan have been scrambling to address pranks and concerns about cleanliness in their establishments.
Police on Wednesday arrested three people accused of involvement in a sushi terrorism prank on Feb. 3 at a Kura Sushi establishment in Nagoya City.
State broadcaster NHK reported that police arrested Yoshino Ryoga, 21, who was allegedly filmed putting his mouth on the spout of a bottle of soy sauce, and two youths, aged 19 and 15. , suspected of obstructing the operation of the restaurant.
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Kura Sushi called the group’s prank an “extremely malicious nuisance,” in a statement released Wednesday.
“We hope the recent arrests will lead the public to recognize that actions that undermine our trust-based structure for our customers are a crime,” the company wrote.
“Our company will continue to strive to further improve the system to avoid such nuisances so that customers can enjoy their meals safely and comfortably. We will continue to do our best to…develop the strip sushi culture carrier which is dear to Japan in the world.
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In the wake of the acts of sushi terrorism, a number of conveyor belt franchises have adopted new policies to combat tampering.
The Choushimaru chain in eastern Japan has completely shut down its conveyor belts after a customer put a cigarette butt in a jar of pickled ginger. Meanwhile, the Sushiro chain has stopped serving unordered food on its conveyor belts.
Kura Sushi said it will use AI-enhanced cameras to monitor customers for food tampering and theft.
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