They are rather strange images from Japanese sushi restaurants, where customers can grab a plate of food from a conveyor belt. Young people lick their fingers first, then touch the sushi and put it back again. They lick the toothpicks, only to put them back in the bowl later. They even lick the necks of soy sauce bottles.

The videos are accompanied by a lot of laughter, and many other Japanese people can also appreciate the videos due to the viewing figures. However, the reaction to “sushi terror” is fundamentally shocking. Police managed to track down three licks in one of the videos. Three suspects, aged between 15 and 21, were subsequently arrested.

The three policemen from the series are accused of losing a turnover; Cora’s restaurant chain, where the video was filmed, was filled with customer complaints after the footage. The staff had to clean everything very well in there.

Suspects risk severe punishment for “interfering with commercial activities”. Japanese media talk about prison sentences of up to three years, or heavy fines. “We sincerely hope that these arrests will make society aware that these pranks, which fundamentally undermine our system, are a crime and will not be imitated in the future,” the Japanese police said in a statement.

Another Japanese restaurant chain, Sushiro, has also been a victim of “video licking”. Even that company’s share price fell for a while. Japanese restaurants are taking action now: bottles of soy sauce have been removed from the table and many conveyor belts have been closed and replaced by waiters who bring the food themselves. There will even be restaurants with security cameras.

As far as is known, no Dutch films have shown licking sushi.