Sushi terrorism: Arrests after unhygienic acts at Japan’s conveyor belt restaurants

Japan has arrested several people suspected of purposely wiping their saliva on food passing on conveyor belts through the restaurant meant for other customers.

Three people were nabbed by local authorities “on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business,” the Guardian reported on Thursday.

🇯🇵 FLASH – Le "terrorisme du sushi" fait fureur au #Japon : des adolescents s’amusent à se filmer en train de lécher la vaisselle ou jouer avec la nourriture, dans des restaurants de #sushis servis sur tapis roulant. (HuffPost) #sushiterrorism #sushiterro pic.twitter.com/Wlpm0JlGj6

— Mediavenir (@Mediavenir) February 4, 2023

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One of the arrested, a 21-year-old, supposedly drank from a shared soy sauce bottle at a kaitenzushi restaurant run by Kura Sushi in the central city of Nagoya early last month.

Two other customers, a 19-year-old male and 15-year-old female, were also arrested for allegedly helping share a 10-second clip that showed him placing a soy sauce bottle in his mouth, the report said.

くら寿司で醤油を直飲みする迷惑行為！性別不明のバカッター現る！https://t.co/BYD2KwfSnE pic.twitter.com/lVcHBXF9a5

— 後藤たけし(令和タケちゃんchannel) (@wyverns15611302) February 5, 2023

“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 behavior,” the famed conveyor belt sushi restaurant said in a statement carried by the British news outlet.

In light of the growing number of incidents, Kura Sushi said it would start using cameras with artificial intelligence to monitor tables even as it receives complaints over client surveillance.

Choshimaru, which operates outlets in the greater Tokyo area, said it was halting its conveyor belts, weeks after Sushiro, the market leader, said its sushi would be delivered only via an “express lane” to customers who order via touch-screen devices, making it harder for other diners to tamper with food, the Guardian reported.

The latest spike in attacks is driving sushi lovers to question whether the conveyor belt sushi delivery system has a future.

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