An announcement page for the “Chiikawa” collaboration campaign is shown on Kura Sushi’s website.
TOKYO — Mercari Inc., a major Japanese online flea market operator, said on Sept. 7 that it was removing listings linked to a promotional merchandise scandal at Kura Sushi Inc. after the conveyor-belt sushi chain acknowledged its staff misappropriated limited-edition prizes from a collaboration campaign featuring the popular Japanese character “Chiikawa.”
In a post on its official X account, Mercari said it was reviewing listings related to the case, removing relevant items and contacting sellers.
In the campaign Kura Sushi launched on Aug. 21, customers could receive original figures and other prizes depending on the results of a game based on the number of plates of sushi they had consumed.
However, large numbers of the limited-edition prizes, which were intended to be difficult to obtain, soon appeared on flea market websites. Social media users began questioning whether Kura Sushi staff had inappropriately obtained and resold the items.
Following an internal investigation, Kura Sushi admitted on Sept. 5 that its staff had been involved in the misconduct, apologized and announced the cancellation of the entire promotional campaign.
The incident also sparked criticism of Mercari, with some social media users accusing the company of failing to prevent the resale of illicitly obtained goods.
Mercari said, “The company will continue to work with Kura Sushi and take any necessary further measures.”
(Japanese original by Yuki Machino, Business News Department)
AloJapan.com