The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
The 'reconstruction support price' oysters were never sold at the regular price
Oyster BBQ pop-ups billed 'regular ¥1,320 → ¥880 reconstruction support price' at 22 venues. No record of the dish ever selling at ¥1,320. Measure order.
LH Corporation · 2025-10-10
What happened
LH Corporation runs 'Shutchou Kaki-goya Kakibugyo' — travelling oyster-hut events where visitors grill oysters at shopping centres around Japan. Flyers for 22 venues between February and May 2025 carried one headline dish: 'Miyagi Prefecture Oysters, One Serving (approx. 1kg)', struck through from 'Regular Price ¥1,320' down to '¥880', under banners like 'Seasonal Tohoku oysters at a special price!!' and 'Reconstruction support price!!'.
The regular price was fiction. Since at least 13 September 2024, the dish had been sold at these events for ¥880 or ¥660 — there was no record of it ever being provided at ¥1,320. The Consumer Affairs Agency ruled the displays misleading about advantageous terms: the struck-through anchor made every visitor believe they were getting a genuine ¥440 saving.
On 10 October 2025 the CAA issued a measure order: publicly notify consumers that the 'regular price' was fictitious, prevent recurrence, and stop similar displays. It was one of the first orders to reach a travelling event operator rather than a shop or website.
Why it happened
- The ¥1,320 'regular price' had no sales record — the dish had been sold at ¥880 or ¥660 since at least September 2024.
- The fake discount ran through 22 venue flyers wrapped in goodwill banners ('Reconstruction support price!!'), which made the saving feel charitable as well as real.
- Advantageous-terms misrepresentation applies to event flyers too: the struck-through anchor was the pitch.
The lesson
A crossed-out price needs a real history: LH's oyster events advertised 'regular ¥1,320 → ¥880' at 22 venues with no record of the higher price, and Japan ordered a public correction.
Aftermath
The measure order of 10 October 2025 required LH to publicly notify consumers that the regular-price displays were misleading and to prevent recurrence. Kakibugyo events continued; the company later published an apology and said it had overhauled its display-review system.
Sources
- 消費者庁: LH株式会社に対する景品表示法に基づく措置命令について (10 October 2025)
- Wellness News: カキ小屋「牡蠣奉行」が景表法違反 消費者庁 (14 October 2025)
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