“Sushi terror” strikes again: Japanese police arrest two for eating directly from a shared bowl of gingerbread

Hong Kong / Tokyo (CNN) Police in Japan have arrested two men for allegedly contaminating a shared bowl of pickles Ginger at a fast food restaurant, after a video of the prank was widely shared on social media.

The arrests come as similar food-related acts, dubbed “#sushitero” or “#sushiterrorism” online, become more common. Previously, dumps mostly affected the country’s famous sushi conveyor belt restaurants, raising questions about their future.

Ryu Shimazu, 35, and Toshihide Oka, 34, have been charged with obstruction of business and damage to property, Osaka police told CNN, after the duo used their chopsticks to eat red ginger straight from a shared bowl at Yoshinoya, a chain of dishes. famous beef. In the city, in September.

a video Posted on social media shows a man believed to be Shimazu forcefully eating ginger. According to police, Shimazu said he did it because he “wanted everyone to laugh,” while Ohka said he shared the video “because it was funny.”

Asked about the incident, a spokesperson for Yoshinoya told CNN, “The video made our regular customers feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable. We deeply regret that this has become a major news story calling into question the safety and security of the entire foodservice industry. We sincerely hope this kind of doesn’t happen.” again in the future.”

Last month, the police in central Japan Three people arrested To participate in hazing at Kura Sushi, a conveyor belt restaurant chain. Besides Kura Sushi, two other such chains — Sushiro, which is owned by Food & Life Companies, and Hamazushi — have previously told CNN they have suffered similar disruptions. Each of them had filed a police report.

Japan has dealt with this problem of unhealthy eating behavior before. In 2013, repeated reports of pranks and disruptive behavior at sushi restaurants led to a “slump” in sales and traffic at the chain operators, according to Daiki Kobayashi, a Japanese retail analyst at Nomura.

But the latest food pranks, amplified across social media, have sparked fresh controversy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, some Japanese social media users have questioned whether conveyor belt sushi restaurants and other community service practices can continue as consumers demand more attention to hygiene.

CNN’s Michelle Toh, Emiko Jozuka, Mayumi Maruyama and Juliana Liu contributed to reporting.