Japan: 3 arrested for ‘sushi terrorism’ pranks

WORLD, March 09 (YPA) – Japanese police have arrested three people over unhygienic pranks at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant after footage of their antics – dubbed “sushi terrorism” – sparked outrage online.

The clip shows one member of the group grabbing a piece of sushi from a plate as it passes, shoving the whole morsel into their mouth and then drinking soy sauce directly from a communal bottle.

Similar videos filmed at different chains surfaced last month on platforms including Twitter and TikTok, with some apparently weeks or even years old.

Other unsavoury pranks included customers touching moving pieces of sushi with a freshly licked finger, or sucking the rim of a teacup before placing it back on a shelf.
Police accused the young trio of seeking to obstruct business at major restaurant chain Kura Sushi, which was bombarded with customer complaints after the video went viral.

A police spokesman said 21-year-old Ryoga Yoshino and an unnamed 15-year-old girl were arrested Wednesday, while the group’s third member, a 19-year-old man whose identity was also withheld, was collared last month.

E.M