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The story
In the mass food poisoning case where 78 people reported feeling unwell after eating “chilled crab ramen,” restaurant owner Komeo apologized on X on September 12 for his comments during a TV appearance, saying “there was some wording that ended up causing people discomfort.” Salmonella bacteria were detected in food served at the August Azabu-Juban Summer Festival, and the restaurant “Kappo Komeo” was hit with a 7-day business suspension order. On the 5ch Entertainment/Sports News+ thread, commenters focused less on the apology itself and more on questions about his attitude — “why does he talk as if he speaks for the whole restaurant industry?” — along with questions about hygiene-licensing rules and whether victims had received any compensation.
9/12 (Sat) 22:45
Komeo, the self-styled “fighting chef” behind the mass food poisoning outbreak caused by his “chilled crab ramen,” updated his own X account on the 12th to apologize for what he called clumsy remarks made during a TV appearance.
At the “Azabu-Juban Summer Festival” held August 22–23, 78 people who ate Komeo’s “chilled crab ramen” reported feeling unwell. On September 3, the public health center announced that Salmonella bacteria had been detected, and “Kappo Komeo” was issued a 7-day business suspension order.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
and get out of the restaurant business for good, lol
but thanks to Komeo that barely even registers now (´・ω・`)
It's more of a 'yeah, called it' feeling.
Because he wants to say it's not his fault.
Because it makes him feel like he's doing something big!
Why does he get to act like the spokesman for the entire restaurant industry?
Does he think he's at the top of some hierarchy?
Even long-established shops or Michelin-starred places wouldn't say something that arrogant.
>"Kappo Komeo" was issued a 7-day business suspension order.
I wonder if any of the affected customers actually paid for their meals.
477: Anonymous: 2026/09/04 (Fri) 01:06:05.61 ID:Muua95Pb0
There are plenty of big-spending regulars paying 500,000 yen a year, so this isn't like some ordinary neighborhood diner.
Sounds like this kind of thing gets passed around within their inner circle.
so he can't even manage a decent excuse.
Did he even pay out any condolence money?
Seriously, it's nothing but unpleasant at this point.
Plenty of ramen shops put out free MSG (Ajinomoto) as a topping —
so what exactly is this 'special dedication' of his supposed to be?
Not dictating customers' taste buds is fine, I guess —
but it's a bit much that his idea of 'dedication' apparently extends to the restroom.
That's not dedication — that's just called having no standards.
but you do need someone on staff with a food hygiene manager qualification.
Hygiene management matters more than cooking skill, which is exactly why it gets drilled into you through traditional apprenticeship training.
And this is what happens when people go around saying apprenticeships are pointless.
What's actually required is a 'food hygiene manager' (shokuhin eisei sekininsha) qualification,
and it only needs to be held by someone on staff —
it doesn't have to be Komeo himself.
The secret art of Japanese cuisine: 'kick it, don't touch it with your hands, or you'll create a hygiene problem.'
If you can't pick up on that, you'll never amount to anything.
It's just a one-day course you sit through, right?
And then it's good for life, no renewal needed, lol
I still go there because I think the food's good.
Basically, if the food's properly cooked through, you're usually fine.
Even at ramen shops, there've been plenty of food poisoning outbreaks from clueless owners serving undercooked chicken chashu.
The honest, no-excuses types just disappear,
but the ones who keep begging 'please, please'
eventually wear everyone down,
so they end up better off.
That's exactly why Maeyama keeps grinding away.
He fundamentally doesn't understand any of it, does he.
Honestly, I'm kind of impressed he can even use words like 'priorities' and 'fundamentally' — wasn't expecting that.
Doesn't seem like something an old couple running a mom-and-pop diner would bother with…
It's just a checklist for stuff like 'cleaned today,' right?
I feel like they were told to keep one…
though maybe I'm just imagining that.
Background and key points of this discussion
Behind this uproar lies some broader confusion over Japan’s restaurant hygiene regulations. A chef’s license isn’t required to run a restaurant, but a shop only needs one staff member holding a “food hygiene manager” (shokuhin eisei sekininsha) qualification — a credential obtainable through a single one-day course with no renewal required, a detail that drew surprise on the thread. Komeo himself isn’t required to hold that qualification personally, though some posts conflated the two. There’s also a discrepancy in the reported victim count: 78 according to the public health center’s official announcement, versus a figure of 120 circulating on the thread — a reminder to be careful not to confuse official figures with hearsay. More than the apology itself, what drew the strongest backlash on the thread was the sense that Komeo talks as if he represents the entire restaurant industry.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “Komeo Apologizes for TV Comments on Food Poisoning Scandal: ‘Some of My Wording Caused Discomfort’.”
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