Fifty-seven people who dined at a sushi shop in the city of Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, have fallen ill with dysentery, prefectural health officials said Sunday.
Another person has contracted the disease from one of the afflicted, they added.
According to the officials, 19 people required hospitalization, of whom 12 remain hospitalized, but all are now on the way to recovery. Authorities determined the incident to be a case of food poisoning caused by dysentery and ordered the sushi shop, Jyuenzushi, to stop operations indefinitely Thursday.
According to officials, those sickened ate at the store in question between Oct. 13 and last Thursday. Of them, dysentery bacilli were detected in 13 people, plus two shop employees.
The victims included tourists from the cities of Hiroshima; Matsue, Shimane Prefecture; and Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, they said.
Authorities said that because other stores using the same fisheries union to stock their fish have not reported anything unusual, they believe the poisoning was due to a staffer with the bacillus preparing the sushi. They are advising people who ate sushi from the store between Oct. 14 to 19 to be checked at a medical facility.