Japan chain shuts eateries after pests found in food

One of Japan's biggest restaurant chains is closing its outlets for deep cleaning, after two incidents of customers finding pests - including a rat - in their food.

Sukiya, known for its beef-on-rice dishes, announced the temporary closure after an insect was found by a customer. Last weekend, it admitted that a rat had been discovered in a bowl of miso soup in January.

The chain, which has nearly 2,000 restaurants, said most of its sites would be shut between 31 March and 4 April "to prevent external intrusion and internal infestation of pests and vermin".

In a statement, it apologised for the "great inconvenience and concern caused".

Rumours about the rat-in-miso incident had been circulating on social media for weeks before Sukiya was forced to confirm that the rodent had been found "before it was eaten".

The branch, in the city of Tottori, was temporarily closed, and Sukiya said measures had been taken to address cracks in the building that could lead to contamination.

It then announced that all of its outlets would be regularly checked for gaps and rubbish would be refrigerated.

The company has now taken the more drastic measure of closure after the insect - widely reported to have been part or all of a cockroach - was found on Friday by a customer in the capital, Tokyo.

The manager apologised to the customer and gave them a refund, it said.

Sukiya is part of Zensho Holdings, which owns a number of restaurant chains in Japan.

Last Monday, following the disclosure about the rat, its share price tumbled before recovering later in the week. Its shares will face scrutiny after Saturday's announcement.