Komeo Shaves His Head to Apologize Over Crab Ramen Food Poisoning: ‘It Wasn’t Made in Advance’

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The story

Komeo, a chef with a background as a fighter, apologized on YouTube on September 5 over a food poisoning incident linked to the “chilled crab ramen” served at the Azabu-Juban Summer Festival in Tokyo on August 22–23. Appearing in a suit with his head freshly shaved, he said the route of the Salmonella infection has not yet been identified, and once again denied longstanding suspicions that ingredients had been “reused.” Reactions on 5ch were split: many dismissed the head-shaving itself as a meaningless gesture, arguing compensation and an explanation of the cooking process should come first, while others cautioned against piling on a young entrepreneur for taking a risk, and some questioned the responsibility of the festival’s organizing committee.

September 5, 2026

Chef Komeo, who has competed in the one-minute fighting event “Breaking Down,” updated his YouTube channel on the 5th. He apologized for the food poisoning incident involving the “chilled crab ramen” served at the “Azabu-Juban Summer Festival” (August 22–23), while once again denying the “reused ingredients” allegations.

Komeo appeared with his head shaved, wearing a black suit and navy tie. Bowing deeply, he apologized: “To everyone who was affected, to your families, and to everyone involved — I am truly sorry for the tremendous pain and trouble this has caused.”

Source: tokyo-sports.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

5AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:53
Shaving your head or doing a dogeza (formal groveling bow) is too easy — treating that as a real apology is ridiculous.
20AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:55
Re: #5
Japanese apologies are way too shallow.
6AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:53
Ha, is this Minegishi Minami all over again?
113AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:10
Re: #6
KRS (Komeo Ramen Sickness)
9AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:54
'Shaved his head'? Dude already had a buzzcut to begin with lol
11AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:54
If he tattoos "FOOD POISONING" on his forehead, I'll accept that as an apology.
31AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:57
Wasn't he balder before?
45AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:59
Re: #31
Heard he got a hair transplant.
33AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:57
He said it hasn't yet been determined which food, or at what stage of preparation, the Salmonella came from, remarking, "Why this accident happened is exactly what I myself want to know most." He also noted that bacteria were detected in two employees, but explained, "the health center has not certified that those two were the source of infection for this 'shokuchuuryoku'" (a typo for shokuchudoku, i.e. "food poisoning," that appeared in his own statement).
122AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:11
Re: #33
Handwritten? Copy-pasted? What's with "shokuchuuryoku"?
51AnonymousSep 5, 2026 20:59
Seriously, who's even the target audience for Breaking Down? I watch every episode, but damn, it's boring.
125AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:12
Re: #51
Isn't the audience exactly people like you — watching every episode while calling it boring?
59AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:01
Can we stop treating a shaved head as shorthand for "this person did something bad"?
71AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:03
Re: #59
It's become a knee-jerk association because guys coming out of prison always have shaved heads.
62AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:01
Apologizing in a video while wearing a suit just looks like a joke at this point.
89AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:06
Re: #62
There are tons of idiots who'd complain "you should wear a suit for an apology" anyway lol
81AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:05
He's fulfilled his duty to explain. Let's just forgive him already.
117AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:10
Re: #81
Could you say that to the victims' faces?
91AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:07
So, is the Azabu-Juban Summer Festival organizing committee going to shave their heads too? The shop owner and head chef behind this mess has shown he's taking it seriously — now it's the festival organizers' turn. Don't treat it like someone else's problem, own it too.
112AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:10
Re: #91
I think the Azabu festival's organizing committee owes some kind of explanation too. They must have known chilled crab ramen was being sold at the stall. Makes you wonder whether they actually confirmed with Komeo's side that the ward had given permission.
108AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:09
Ah I see, so that means I'm apologizing every day then. Sorry about that, guys.
138AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:14
Re: #108
Here, use this wig. It's on me.

     彡 ⌒ミ
     (`・ω・) シュッ
     (つ と彡 /
      /  /
     /  /
    /   /
   /   /
  / ///  / ツツー
 / 彡彡ミ /
/     /
123AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:11
Is this the dawn of the Komeo era? Is Watanabe Nagisa done for?
143AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:14
Re: #123
Komeo doesn't go around saying he feels guilty just for being alive, and unlike certain other people, he's not off taking a bunch of overseas trips either.
126AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:12
To everyone piling on Komeo now that they've got the chance: don't crush a young talent who's fighting desperately hard for Japan. You should at least show some respect to someone who's clawed his way up from rock bottom, grinding himself down along the way. This habit of hammering down the nail that sticks out is exactly what's driving Japan's decline. Praise the fact that he's challenging himself before you criticize the failure. He's apologized — just accept it graciously.
132AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:12
Re: #126
It's because he's sloppy and irresponsible. You just don't get it at all.
164AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:17
Re: #126
Someone who's genuinely fighting desperately hard — even if they want to serve original, creative dishes — knows that without solid fundamentals there's no real application, and that's true in any field. Normally you'd apprentice at a well-known ramen shop, learn the actual procedures and how to run a business, and then go independent.
142AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:14


Looks like a germ-covered dish towel stuck right to the crab.
156AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:16
Re: #142
Mask worn under the nose lol. And the wristwatch lol.
170AnonymousSep 5, 2026 21:18
Re: #142
Wearing a watch and bracelet covered in Salmonella — it's over. As dirty as a toilet, on par with a smartphone.

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

In Japan, shaving one’s head at an apology press conference has long served as a symbolic gesture of “sincerity,” and whether that gesture actually means anything became the central point of debate on the thread. The press conference included technical explanations — that the route of the Salmonella infection has not been identified, and that although bacteria were detected in two employees they haven’t been confirmed as the source — but it did not touch on specifics like compensation amounts for victims or details of the crab ramen’s cooking and transport process. There was also no mention of whether the Azabu-Juban Summer Festival’s organizing committee had confirmed permits or what responsibility they bear, a point easy to overlook given that this apology was made solely by the vendor. Komeo is also a YouTuber known for competing on the fighting show “Breaking Down,” and his fame produced a split reaction: skepticism toward the apology on one hand, and sympathy for a young entrepreneur taking risks on the other.

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Komeo Shaves Head to Apologize Over Crab Ramen Food Poisoning, Addresses ‘700 Leftover Servings’: ‘It Wasn’t Made in Advance’.”

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