Toru Hashimoto Conveyor belt sushi nuisance video “Japan’s compensation for damages is too low”: J-CAST TV Watch[full text display]

As “nuisance videos” such as videos of sushi being circulated at kaiten-zushi restaurants spreading their wings, kaiten-zushi restaurants across the country have taken countermeasures such as not placing sushi on rotating lanes. At one store, the stock price fell by about 16.8 billion yen. “Mezamashi 8” on February 6 (February 2023) picked up the voice that the perpetrators should “compensate for civil damages.”

At the Tokyo conveyor belt sushi restaurant Sushiro, which was damaged by Tsubano’s video, there is now a sign that reads, “Only ordered items will be served on the lane.” Sushiro announced that it will temporarily change the operation method of stores nationwide due to nuisance.

What is the future of “rotating food culture”?

Will the lane where sushi flows disappear as it is? Can we protect the “rotating food culture”?

“Hama Sushi”, which was mischievous by placing wasabi on a moving sushi lane, refused the assailant’s offer to “want me to apologize once.” I filed a complaint with the police. Although “Sushiro” received an apology from the perpetrator and guardian for showing the video of the spitting, the damage report has not been withdrawn. Stores that were hit by Sushiro took measures such as cleaning all teacups, replacing soy sauce bottles, and installing acrylic panels between seats and rotating lanes. About 90% of “Hama Sushi” stores have a “straight lane” where only ordered items are delivered. “Kappa Sushi” uses security cameras, but the policy is to introduce “covers” for sushi in the future.

The origin of conveyor belt sushi is 1958. It was “Rotating Genroku Sushi,” which came from the idea that “it would be interesting to put sushi on the conveyor belt of a beer factory.” It was developed with the aim of making up for the post-war labor shortage, and was well received for its entertainment value. At that time, it was not distributed one by one, but on a set platter. At the Osaka Expo in 1970, it attracted attention as a futuristic form of Japanese food, and later opened a branch in New York.

The number of stores, which was 1,330 in fiscal 2011, will expand to 2,169 in fiscal 2021. Sales also expanded 1.6 times from 463.7 billion yen (2011) to 740 billion yen (2021 forecast).

A nuisance such as putting saliva on or putting wasabi on top is punishable as “damage to property” with “imprisonment with work for up to 3 years and a fine of up to 300,000 yen”. shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than three years and a fine of not more than 500,000 yen.

The issue is civil liability.

Toru Hashimoto, former governor of Osaka Prefecture (lawyer), said, “In Japan, the amount of compensation for damages is too low. In the United States, as a penalty, the company is required to compensate for the operating profit incurred by the store. I think we should change this.”

(Sakae)