Japan sushi chain drops suit against teen over licking soy bottle

The operator of a major conveyer belt sushi chain has dropped its damages suit against a teenager who was filmed in a viral video licking a soy sauce bottle at one of its restaurants, according to the company.

In the lawsuit filed with the Osaka District Court in March, Akindo Sushiro Co. sought approximately 67 million yen ($470,000) in damages from the 17-year-old boy from Gifu Prefecture, saying it suffered a sharp fall in customers after the video was uploaded on social media in January and shared widely.

But the two sides reached a settlement in late July, with the company saying that the...