Japan's Mercari pulls 'Chiikawa' goods linked to Kura Sushi promotion scandal
TOKYO -- Mercari Inc., a major Japanese online flea market operator, said on Sept. 7 that it was removing listings linked to a promotional merchandise
On September 7, Japanese online flea market operator Mercari announced it would remove listings associated with a promotional merchandise scandal at Kura Sushi, following the sushi chain's admission that its staff had improperly obtained and resold limited-edition prizes from a collaboration campaign featuring the popular character Chiikawa.
In a post on its official X account, Mercari stated it was reviewing related listings, removing affected items and contacting sellers. The campaign, launched on August 21, provided customers with original figures and other prizes based on their consumption of sushi plates. However, numerous limited-edition prizes, intended to be hard to obtain, began surfacing on flea market websites shortly thereafter.
Social media users suspected that Kura Sushi employees had obtained and resold the items. An internal investigation confirmed the misconduct, with Kura Sushi admitting the wrongdoing on September 5, apologizing and cancelling the entire promotional campaign.
The incident drew criticism of Mercari, with some social media users accusing the company of not preventing the resale of illicitly obtained goods. Mercari responded by saying it would continue to work with Kura Sushi and take any necessary further measures.
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