This Time Disinfectant on Sushi... Japanese Sushi Restaurant Embarrassed by Hygiene Terror

Disinfectant Terror Following Spit Terror
Apology Faces Doubts Over Sincerity

Hygiene terrorism incidents at local restaurants in Japan continue unabated. This time, disinfectant was sprayed on sushi.

Previously, there were videos showing someone spitting on sushi and licking chopsticks at a ramen shop.

Sushi Aoki's Sushi

The store targeted by the 'disinfectant terrorism' is a Sushiro (スシロ－) branch in Kumamoto (熊本) Prefecture. Sushiro is Japan's largest conveyor belt sushi franchise, which was previously targeted for spitting on sushi.

In the video, the male student picks up a spray bottle placed on the table and sprays it on the sushi on the conveyor belt and on plates. As part of COVID-19 prevention measures, Sushiro provides spray bottles filled with alcohol disinfectant at every table. The parfait menu visible on the new menu board beyond the conveyor belt was a limited-time item sold only during November last year, suggesting the video was taken in November.

After his identity was revealed, the male student posted an apology on his personal SNS, but the response was that it lacked sincerity. There are claims that the first letters of each sentence in the apology form a hidden message reading "Honmani darui" (本間にだるい), meaning "Really boring."

Food & Life Companies (F&LC), which operates Sushiro, issued a statement on the 24th saying, "We have completed a police investigation related to the social media video and plan to respond strictly in both civil and criminal matters," signaling a tough stance.

In January, a similar incident occurred when a male student spread a video showing him spitting on soy sauce containers, water cups, and sushi on the conveyor belt. Following the spread of the video, F&LC temporarily lost about 160 billion yen in market capitalization. The student withdrew from his school after his identity was revealed online.