An online promotion to boost falling sales of "yakiniku," or barbecued meat, will be launched Saturday amid consumer concerns over mad cow disease, organizers said.
The campaign, spearheaded by cash prizes, aims to get consumers back into yakiniku restaurants across the country, the organizers said Wednesday.
Five winners will receive 100,000 yen and 50 others may win as much as 10,000 yen.
Web site representative Pak Hyong Ju said restaurants that experienced a 50 percent decline in sales for October were the lucky ones -- some establishments have been hit by drops of between 80 percent to 90 percent.
Two cases of mad cow disease have been confirmed so far in Japan.
People taking part in the campaign must spend more than 5,000 yen at a yakiniku restaurant between Saturday and the end of January. Restaurants not affiliated with the Web site are also covered under the campaign.
Receipts addressed to the Web site can then be sent by e-mail, regular mail or fax, they said, adding that a total of 1 million yen in cash prizes will be given out to lucky diners.
The organizers said the Web site features 113 yakiniku restaurants based mainly in Tokyo, and that four of them have been forced to close due to sagging sales.