Pranksters in Japan are posing potential health issues and harming the reputation of the country's famed conveyor-belt sushi restaurants. This week, several diners have posted prank videos on social media. The pranks include people licking bottles of soy sauce and chopsticks, and licking their fingers and then touching the sushi on the revolving belt. These actions have shocked people in Japan. The actions have been dubbed "sushi-tero," or "sushi terrorism". The incidents have caused the share prices of a leading sushi chain to plummet. Many restaurants have sprung into action and taken measures to combat the pranksters. These include installing security cameras and providing disinfected eating utensils.

Japan's "kaitenzushi" restaurants are ubiquitous in Japan. They offer good quality, inexpensive sushi in an informal, casual environment. They are usually spotlessly clean. Some industry analysts are saying sushi terrorism poses a threat to the future operations of the eateries. One egregious video clip has been viewed 40 million times and has sparked copycat clips. The chain targeted by the prankster is filing a civil lawsuit against him and is claiming compensation for damages. The Guardian newspaper reported that there is a lot of outrage on social media from Japanese people, who believe the pranksters are showing "contempt for the country's high standards of hygiene".