Restaurateur Arrested After Alleged Inspector Bribe Attempt

The operator of Naniwa Restaurant of Japan on East 46th Street has been arrested after allegedly offering a $200 bribe to an undercover investigator.

After a city health inspector told the Department of Investigation that the restaurant operator, Kazuo Mitsuya, tried to pay him off to avoid a summons, the investigator posed as a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene employee.

The DOI commissioner, Rose Gill Hearn, said Wednesday that the arrest "underscores DOI's commitment to rooting out municipal corruption." She added that the health inspector and the investigator's refusal to be bought reflects "the overwhelming majority of decent and hardworking city employees."

The arrest follows a spate of high-profile health department investigations over the past several months. After footage was shown on television in February of rats swarming a Manhattan KFC restaurant that had recently passed a health inspection, several restaurants owned by the parent company, Yum! Brands, were closed by the city, according to the New York Times. The health inspector responsible for the passing grade subsequently resigned.

In March, a popular Union Square hangout, the Coffee Shop, was shut down for numerous health violations.

Earlier this month, Serendipity 3, a restaurant famed for serving a $25,000 dessert, closed its doors after inspectors discovered an infestation of mice, roaches, and flying insects.

Calls to Naniwa Restaurant were not answered, and the health inspection results have not been posted.