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Japanese Police Detain Two Guys After “Sushi Terrorism” Joke
Two men have been detained by Japanese police after posting a video online showing one of them consuming ginger from a shared container as part of a joke that has come to be known as “sushi terrorism.”
According to the Osaka prefectural police, Ryu Shimazu and Toshihide Oka were detained on suspicion of hindering commerce as well as damaging and contaminating property.
Shimazu is seen repeatedly using chopsticks rather than the tong that patrons are supposed to use in a video taken by Oka and posted on social media, according to the police. The shredded pickled red ginger is a staple topping for a well-liked beef dish.
Shimazu admitted to wanting to amuse people, according to the police. According to the police, Oka claimed that he was the one who encouraged Shimazu to act humorously and that he shared the video because it was amusing and he wanted other people to see it. They added that the two had no animosity toward the restaurant.
They risk up to three years in prison or fines of up to 500,000 yen if found guilty of hindering commerce. They risk up to three years in prison or a fine of 300,000 yen for causing property damage.
When a patron alerted the chain to the video in February, the pair’s prank came to light, leading the establishment to briefly close so it could clean its containers and throw out all of the ginger sauce, according to the authorities. The incident was also reported to the police by the Yoshinoya restaurant company.
Just the Yoshinoya restaurant chain, located in Osaka’s Suminoe area, was known to the police.
According to Kyodo News, Yoshinoya Holdings expressed regret that the prank’s disclosure upset many customers and raised concerns about the safety of the entire food industry. The company expressed the hope that similar issues won’t arise again.
Popular gyudon, a bowl of rice topped with soy-flavored beef and onion, is an inexpensive meal, and the Yoshinoya incident, which occurred just weeks after a string of “sushi terrorism”-inspired pranks at rotating sushi chains and involves more than 1,100 locations nationwide, apparently raised some eyebrows.
In one incident, authorities in February detained three people for allegedly impeding business at a prominent “revolving” sushi restaurant in central Tokyo by licking the top of a communal soy sauce container, grabbing passing sushi with bare hands, and devouring it.
Some sushi restaurants have responded to similar pranks by adding surveillance cameras to watch patrons or even stopping their conveyors that serve sushi.
