Sendai: Man Indicted over False X Post ‘Many Slugs in Restaurant’; Restaurant Forced to Close for Sanitary Inspection

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:15 JST, March 7, 2024

SENDAI – A man was indicted Tuesday on suspicion of posting false information on social media that there were a large number of slugs in a Chinese restaurant where he used to work.

It is believed that the reason for his post was that he had problems with the restaurant and held a grudge against them. However, his post was seen as “courageous whistleblowing” and went viral on social media, forcing the restaurant to close.

According to the indictment filed by the Sendai District Public Prosecutors Office, the 25-year-old unemployed man, who is in prison for theft, is suspected of posting comments on X such as that many slugs were found at the Osaka Osho Sendai Nakata restaurant, which many people read online, forcing the restaurant to close on July 24, 2022, for a sanitary inspection. The charge is for fraudulent obstruction of business.