What is sushi terrorism? Viral Japan prank trend sparks wave of arrests

Authorities in Japan have arrested three people in connection to viral pranks dubbed “sushi terrorism,” which involves messing with the food served on conveyor belts.

On Thursday, March 9, media house Kyodo news reported that the three people were taken into custody on speculation of forcible obstruction of the restaurant business. The arrests come after Japan witnessed a slew of food-related misdemeanors, and the customers were suspected of “unhygienic and harassing behavior,” as per Kyodo.

In February 2023, footage of a man went viral where he could be seen squashing fish dishes and licking a soy sauce bottle on a conveyor belt at a Kura Sushi restaurant branch. A spokesperson for the restaurant said:

"Conveyor belt sushi is something we are proud of as part of Japanese culture. We want to make sure our customers can eat food item delivered on the belt safely and comfortably."

Several videos have gone viral over the internet, which has caused concern among the public for Japan’s budget dining sector.

Incidents including people spoiling each other’s orders by touching food items, putting wasabi on another dish, licking chopsticks, and rubbing saliva on passing food items, have come to the limelight.

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Sushi restaurants have thanked Japanese police for their "swift response"

As per Kyodo news, one of the arrested persons is a 21-year-old who reportedly drank from a common soy sauce bottle at a Kura Sushi restaurant in Nagoya.

His two other companions, a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl, were also taken into custody for allegedly circulating a 10-second video that featured the eldest of the three placing a whole soy sauce bottle in his mouth at the Kaitenzushi restaurant.

As per SoraNews 24, the restaurant chain issued a statement and thanked the authorities for their “swift response.”

“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 behaviour.”

The restaurant revealed that it would soon begin using cameras with artificial intelligence to keep the food and customers under surveillance. The viral videos showcasing food-related crimes have forced restaurants to take drastic measures to bring skeptical customers back to eateries.

Choshimaru, a restaurant chain with outlets in Tokyo, announced earlier this week that it would stop its conveyor belt service to deliver the food item. This comes weeks after Sushiro announced it would only deliver the food item via “express lane” to its customers to make it harder for others to mess with food.