Japanese restaurant chain files damages suit against 'sushi terrorist' for licking soy bottle

A diner who recorded himself licking a soy sauce bottle and wiping saliva on a fish slice at one of Japan's leading sushirestaurants is being sued by thesushi chain in Japan for ¥67mn ($480,859)in damages. This incident was one of a string of "sushi terrorism" episodes that disgraced Japan's food industry.

Japan'sKyodo news agency reported thatSushiro, the largest operator of revolving sushi restaurants in the country, filed the lawsuit with a court in Osaka, claiming it had incurred financial damages because the incident raised public concerns about food sanitation.

The unidentified teenager is accused of licking the rim of a teacup and a bottle of soy sauce before setting them back on a shelf. He then is said to have wiped saliva on a platter of sushi that was being served to other people.

Restaurant chains were forced to take severe measures to calm alarmed customers when a second person's video of the incident went viral.

Charges levied against the teenager

A 21-year-old who reportedly drank from a shared soy sauce bottle at a kaitenzushi restaurant owned by Kura Sushi was one of three individuals detained by police in March on suspicion of forcibleobstruction of business.

The firm said at the time: “We sincerely hope that society widely acknowledges antisocial acts are crimes, and that these kinds of actions are not committed in future.”

The arrests — the first involving customers accused of "unhygienic and harassing behaviour" — came as news broke of further food-related acts of sabotage in the multibillion-dollar budget dining sector.

A 30-year-old man was charged with comparable offences in April after being seen on camera using his ownchopsticksto remove pickledginger out of a container meant for everyone at a beef bowl eatery.

Several chains were obliged to act as a result of the pranks. To make it harder for other diners to tamper with food, one restaurant stopped using its conveyor belts, and another started serving sushi to guests who order using touch-screen devices via an "express lane."

Sushiro said in its lawsuit against the teenager that following the event, sales had drastically decreased.

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After being compelled to spend an additional $645,084on additional sanitary measures, including constructing plastic barriers at more than 600 restaurants, the news agency said that the company may pursue additional damages.

The teenager has expressed regret for his behaviour and acknowledged licking shared items.

He didn't intend for the videoto be circulated online, according to his lawyers, who also argued that it was hard to attribute the decline in Sushiro customers to him given the severe competition in the $740 billion budget sushi market.

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