--- description: The Japanese city of Gamagori activated an emergency warning system to warn residents about deadly pufferfish, or fugu title: Japanese City Warns Residents Against Deadly Blowfish Parts image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc69ab1cc1b90bad/6988f8537cdbac45cbd5b9ae/gettyimages-147551571.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Japan](/tag/japan/) ## Japan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Japanese City Activated its Emergency Warning System to Stop Residents Eating Poisonous Pufferfish by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 16, 2018 9:04 AM CUT  In a picture taken on June 5, 2012, a pufferfish, known as fugu in Japan, is seen on a chopping board to remove toxic internal organs at a restaurant "Torafugu-tei" in Tokyo. In a picture taken on June 5, 2012, a pufferfish, known as fugu in Japan, is seen on a chopping board to remove toxic internal organs at a restaurant "Torafugu-tei" in Tokyo.Yoshikazu Tsuno—AFP/Getty Images by [Joseph Hincks](/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 16, 2018 9:04 AM CUT Authorities in the central Japanese city of Gamagori activated an [emergency warning system](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/16/national/deadly-fugu-fish-flub-prompts-emergency-warning-aichi-city/#.Wl28vD9VgkG "undefined") Tuesday in a bid to prevent residents eating parts of potentially [deadly](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839170,00.html "undefined") pufferfish that were mistakenly placed on supermarket shelves. Pufferfish, or fugu, is an expensive delicacy often served in the form of paper-thin sashimi slices. But the fish’s skin, intestines, ovaries, and liver contain the poison tetrodotoxin, which is 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide. The five packets of fugu that triggered the alarm in Gamagori were sold with their livers still in place, Agence France-Presse reports. Local official Koji Takayanagi told AFP that a warning not to eat locally purchased fugu had sounded over speakers installed citywide using Gamagori’s “emergency wireless system.” That warning had been partially successful, Takayanagi said: “Three packages will be retrieved today, but we still don’t know where the remaining two are.” **Read more:** [_Top 10 Most Dangerous Foods_](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1967235%5F1967238%5F1967227,00.html "undefined") Incorrectly prepared fugu kills several people each year in Japan and a special permit is required for chefs who want to prepare it. About 40 kinds of fugu are [caught](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1967235%5F1967238%5F1967227,00.html "undefined") in the country and the part of the fish that contains deadly poison varies between varieties. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5103778/fugu-japan-emergency-warning-system/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5103778/fugu-japan-emergency-warning-system/"},"headline":"A Japanese City Activated its Emergency Warning System to Stop Residents Eating Poisonous Pufferfish","datePublished":"2018-01-16T09:04:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:52:53.095Z","description":"Incorrectly prepared fugu kills several people each year in Japan","url":"https://time.com/5103778/fugu-japan-emergency-warning-system/","keywords":["Japan","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc69ab1cc1b90bad/6988f8537cdbac45cbd5b9ae/gettyimages-147551571.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Joseph Hincks","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/joseph-hincks/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcc69ab1cc1b90bad/6988f8537cdbac45cbd5b9ae/gettyimages-147551571.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TO GO WITH AFP STORY JAPAN-GASTRONOMY-FI","caption":"TO GO WITH AFP STORY JAPAN-GASTRONOMY-FI","creditText":"Yoshikazu Tsuno—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/japan/","name":"Japan"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5103778/fugu-japan-emergency-warning-system/","name":"A Japanese City Activated its Emergency Warning System to Stop Residents Eating Poisonous Pufferfish"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Food May Help You Sleep Better","description":"Forget warm milk. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania says that fish may be the key to a good night’s sleep","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/0qkrEy8d/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-01-09T15:51:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0qkrEy8d.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5103778/fugu-japan-emergency-warning-system/","duration":"PT1M44S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5103778/fugu-japan-emergency-warning-system/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```