Japanese Teen Fined After Filming Unsanitary Vending Machine Stunt

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Tokyo: A Japanese teenager was fined after video himself licking multiple drinking straws from a vending machine and returning them, in a prank that rapidly went viral on social media. The prank sparked huge public outrage, with many describing it as unhygienic and stupid.

Police initiated an inquiry when the video went viral and identified the teen, who confessed to the act. Authorities assessed a general fine for impeding commerce, claiming that the prank interrupted the vending machine operator and damaged public trust in the products being offered.

The case has sparked worries in Japan about social media "prank" films, following a string of similar instances in recent years that resulted in arrests, fines, and harsher enforcement of disruptive behaviour in restaurants and other places.