{
  "id": 6363056,
  "title": "Japan's Mercari pulls 'Chiikawa' goods linked to Kura Sushi promotion scandal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/japans-mercari-pulls-chiikawa-goods-linked-to-kura-sushi-promotion",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-09T01:37:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260909/p2a/00m/0na/002000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nIn 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.\n\nSocial 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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "summary": "TOKYO -- Mercari Inc., a major Japanese online flea market operator, said on Sept. 7 that it was removing listings linked to a promotional merchandise",
  "key_points": [
    "Mercari removes Chiikawa-related listings after Kura Sushi scandal",
    "Internal investigation confirms staff improperly obtained, resold prizes",
    "Kura Sushi cancels promotional campaign, apologizes for misconduct"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Mercari's removal of Chiikawa goods listings tied to the Kura Sushi promotion scandal signals a tighter approach to policing its platform for potentially illicitly obtained items.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}