Japanese restaurant takes action against customer's 'sushi terrorism'

Sushiro, a popular conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain in Japan, has filed a damages claim to police officers against a customer who performed an unsanitary and criminal prank at the establishment.

According to Japan Today, Akindo Sushiro Co - the operator responsible for the restaurant chain - noted that they filed the claim on Tuesday (31 January) after coming across a video of a customer at the Sushiro branch in Gifu who licked items that would be used by other patrons.

In the clip, the person licked a soy sauce bottle and a bowl and touched sushi as it passed by on the conveyer belt using the fingers he just put in his mouth.

Japan Today reported that the company did get an apology from the person shown in the footage and their guardian.

Still, the company explained that it would "continue to respond strictly in both a civil and criminal capacity" to the case at hand.

They also noted that the sushi restaurant branch cleaned all of the cups that were affected in the store and replaced all the soy sauce bottles.

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Customers there and at other locations close by will also have to bring their own utensils and condiments to their tables.

Additionally, the company will also give customers disinfected tableware upon request at any of its locations.

In a report from Bloomberg, the incident in question created a phenomenon called "Sushi Terrorism," which prompted a wave of others mimicking the unhygienic incident.

For example, Hama-sushi Co, a competitor of Sushiro, also told Japan Today that it filed a damages complaint to officers after another video showed a customer putting wasabi on sushi that appeared to be traveling on the conveyer belt to other people.

Hama-sushi Co also said it is considering filing a civil suit against the customer.

Japan is currently experiencing one of the most lethal Covid outbreaks ever since the pandemic started, and as restaurants are trying to stay afloat amid inflation.

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