Japanese eel restaurant 'Doikatsuman' caught passing off Chinese eel as Japanese

2026.10.21. The Fair Economy — Doi Takashi (54), the operator of the eel specialty restaurant 'Doikatsuman' in Kyoto, Japan, has been arrested on suspicion of selling Chinese eel (freshwater eel) misrepresented as Japanese eel.

The Kyoto Prefectural Police's Community Safety Division and Shimogyo Police Station announced on the 20th that they arrested Doi on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act (misleading indications).

Doi is accused of serving customers eel at his restaurant 'Doikatsuman' in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, with labels claiming the eel was 'carefully selected from Mikawa, Aichi Prefecture' or 'from Isshiki-cho, Aichi Prefecture,' when it was actually Chinese. Additionally, an investigation found that he sold eel on an online shopping site with labels such as 'sourced from Mikawa, Aichi Prefecture.'

Police said they obtained unaju (rice bowls topped with grilled eel) from the store in July and confirmed through inspection that it was Chinese. The investigation found that the company purchased about 18 tons of eel last year, of which less than 2% was Japanese.

The purchase price per kilogram was about 600 yen (approximately 5,400 won) cheaper for Chinese eels than for Japanese eels. It is reported that the two directly operated stores (Fushimi Inari and Gion Yasaka) generated sales of about 220 million to 223 million yen through this false origin labeling method.

Doi denies the charges, saying, "I do not consider the labeling as origin falsification." Police are investigating the period of falsification and the sales.

In Japan, violations of eel origin labeling have been increasingly detected. Last year alone, multiple cases were confirmed in which restaurants and processing companies in Aichi, Nara, and other regions sold Chinese eel as domestic. The recently exposed 'Doikatsuman' has directly managed stores in Fushimi Inari and Gion, both major tourist destinations in Kyoto, and is known to have been used by many customers, including foreign tourists.

Although the police are investigating this case, the Consumer Affairs Agency can impose separate administrative penalties under the Food Labeling Act. In the past, there have been cases where eel origin violators were ordered to correct labeling or fined.

The issue of origin violations is also linked to Japan's eel consumption structure. Although Japan is the world's largest consumer of eel, domestic aquaculture production alone cannot meet demand, leading to heavy reliance on imports from China and Taiwan. According to Japanese government statistics, Japan's annual eel imports have reached tens of thousands of tons in recent years.

With violations being detected through online shopping sites and in-store menus, there are calls for more effective measures to eliminate blind spots in labeling management. Experts advise that consumers should carefully check origin labels when purchasing eel and take proactive steps, such as reporting suspicious cases to relevant authorities.