Editing Yoshinoya (section)

==Controversies==
In August 2008, three Yoshinoya employees in Hong Kong including the store's manager were arrested after gang-raping another employee. Footage of the incident was uploaded to the internet.<ref>{{cite web|last=NNA Asia|title=吉野家の女性店員暴行、容疑3店員が初公判|url=http://news.nna.jp/free/news/20080917hkd003A.html|access-date=23 April 2022|website=NNA Asia|language=ja|archive-date=3 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103151938/http://news.nna.jp/free/news/20080917hkd003A.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2019, Yoshinoya outlets in Hong Kong were targeted to be [[boycotted]] and [[vandalized]] by anti-government protesters during [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests]]. Hop Hing Group, based in Hong Kong, is the licensed franchise of Yoshinoya in the city and [[Mainland China]] (Beijing and the cities in Southeast China). Its [[CEO]], Marvin Hung, was criticized by protesters for attending a rally for [[Hong Kong police]] organized by [[Pro-Beijing camp (Hong Kong)|pro-Beijing camps]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hinata |first1=Yusuke |title=Hong Kong protesters trash Starbucks and Yoshinoya |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong-protests/Hong-Kong-protesters-trash-Starbucks-and-Yoshinoya |work=[[Nikkei Asia]] |date=October 3, 2019}}</ref>

Another major reason that caused the boycott of Yoshinoya is an advertisement posted on Facebook in July 2019. The advertisement featured a traditional Japanese food, ''chikuwa''; in Cantonese, the word sounds similar to "dog that tears paper". As this advert was published after police removed messages on a [[Lennon Wall (Hong Kong)|Lennon Wall]] in Tai Po, the advertisement was then regarded as poking fun at the police. The staff from Social Strategy Hong Kong who helped create the advertisement was sacked afterwards. Hence, protestors thought that Yoshinoya was politically biased and suppressed freedom of speech. Citizens in support of the protests then started boycotting Yoshinoya.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3018423/yoshinoya-hong-kong-steams-local-advertising-agency|title=Yoshinoya steams at ad agency as extradition rows rock workplaces|date=2019-07-12|website=South China Morning Post|language=en|access-date=2020-03-03}}</ref>

On April 16, 2022, Yoshinoya managing director Masaaki Itō attracted controversy over his statements as an instructor during a [[Waseda University]] marketing course. During the first class while covering marketing strategies for young female consumers Itō reportedly described a "drug-addled virgins strategy" stating: "You have these women straight out of the countryside who don't know left or right, while they're virgins you get them hooked on [[gyudon]] like a [[methamphetamine]] addiction. Once a man starts paying for their expensive dinners they'll never eat with us again."<ref>{{cite web|last=Mainichi Shinbun|title=吉野家、取締役の不適切発言で謝罪 「生娘を薬漬けのように牛丼中毒に」|url=https://mainichi.jp/articles/20220418/k00/00m/040/150000c|access-date=18 April 2022|website=Mainichi Shinbun|language=ja}}</ref> Students' shocked reactions were uploaded to Facebook and attracted fierce criticism online. One user wrote "Let's deconstruct this remark – he showed contempt for women, young people, people from rural areas and his own company's products. In short, he pretty much insulted most of his company's customers."<ref name="reuters.com">{{cite news|title=Japan beef bowl company sacks director for remark on getting women "hooked"|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-beefbowl/japan-beef-bowl-company-sacks-director-for-remark-on-getting-women-hooked-idUSKCN2MB09O|access-date=20 April 2022|publisher=Reuters|date=19 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The course tuition reportedly cost 36,500 yen over 29 days. On April 18, 2022, Yoshinoya issued a public apology, calling Itō's statements "profoundly inappropriate".<ref>{{cite web|last=Yahoo News|title=吉野家、役員の不適切発言謝罪 「生娘を薬漬けのように牛丼中毒に」|url=https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a4c4caa4eb8a71930ebb9a8120475d405d32d354|access-date=18 April 2022|website=Yahoo News|language=ja|archive-date=18 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418111023/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a4c4caa4eb8a71930ebb9a8120475d405d32d354|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Nikkei|title=吉野家、取締役の不適切発言で謝罪 「生娘を薬漬けのように牛丼中毒に」|url=https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC185BP0Y2A410C2000000/|access-date=18 April 2022|website=Nikkei|date=18 April 2022 |language=ja}}</ref> Itō joined the company in 2018, previously vice-president at [[Procter & Gamble]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Tokyo Shinbun|title=吉野家、役員の不適切発言謝罪 「生娘を薬漬けのように牛丼中毒に」|url=https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/172468/|access-date=18 April 2022|website=Tokyo Shinbun|language=ja|archive-date=18 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418062419/https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/172468|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 19, 2022, the company announced Itō's dismissal, calling that his statements "could not be tolerated from the point of view of human rights and gender issues".<ref>{{cite web|last=Asahi Shinbun|title=吉野家HD、不適切発言の常務取締役を解任 「到底許容できない」|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ4M44F2Q4MULFA00F.html|access-date=25 May 2023|website=Asahi Shinbun|date=19 April 2022 |language=ja}}</ref><ref name="reuters.com" /> The controversy led to Yoshinoya suspending an upcoming marketing campaign starring [[Nicole Fujita]] and rollout of a new product that took 10 years to develop.<ref>{{cite web|last=Asahi Shinbun|title=吉野家常務発言で新商品発表会が前日に中止 10年かけ開発の親子丼|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ4L6WBCQ4LULFA02G.html|access-date=25 May 2023|website=Asahi Shinbun|date=18 April 2022 |language=ja}}</ref>