Three members of a family who ran a former Michelin-starred restaurant in Japan have been arrested after contaminated food caused nearly 80 people to fall ill with food poisoning earlier this year, according to reports.
Hirokazu Kitano, 69, his wife Noriko, 68, and their son Hirotoshi Kitano, 41 who run the Kiichi restaurant in Kawachinagano in Osaka Prefecture were arrested on Monday on suspicion of violating the Food Sanitation Act.
The traditional Japanese-style restaurant Kiichi was ordered to suspend operations in February after dozens of its customers who dined there reported symptoms such as diarrhoea and stomach pain, according to Kyodo.
Some of those affected tested positive for norovirus, a highly contagious illness that can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.
An initial suspension order was issued on 15 February for two days after nearly 33 people who had dined there on 8 February became ill.
However, investigators found that the restaurant continued to operate and sold 11 bento boxes on 16 February, which were suspected to be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms.
In the following days, more people fell ill, and norovirus was again detected in the restaurant’s food, prompting a further suspension of its operations in March.
All those who fell sick have since recovered.
The police suspect that poor hygiene management at the restaurant led to the incidents of food poisoning.
The restaurant admitted to the allegation of poor hygiene and issued an apology on their website on 20 March after the suspension order was lifted.
“We take this series of incidents seriously and deeply regret it. We will work to ensure food safety by strengthening and thoroughly implementing our hygiene management system to prevent a recurrence,” the restaurant said.
During the 2010s, Kiichi was recognised with a one-star rating in the Michelin Guide for the Kansai region.
The restaurant advertises itself as a “famed Kyoto kaiseki restaurant that has been continuing for a quarter of a century”.
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