A restaurant in northeast China was fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,394) yesterday for issuing a fake promotion about a controversial Japanese dining tradition known as Nyotaimori.

A woman lies on a table with meals spreaded on her naked body. [file photo]

The restaurant in Anshan in Liaoning Province was also ordered to suspend operations after a local public health administration found it had sanitation problems, Xinhua news agency reported today.

Waiters from the middle-scale restaurant in the city's Tiexi District sent flyers to local residents, saying they would launch the luxurious Japanese banquet, Nyotaimori, beginning next year, Xinhua said.

A picture of a naked woman lying down with food being served from her belly was on the flyer which said the banquet was priced at 4,600 yuan for a maximum of six diners, with free beer and wine.

However, the owner of the restaurant denied the banquet would take place, explaining the waiters had just wanted to attract more customers by promoting it. "We are not planning to offer such a banquet," the owner said.

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Japanese men believe food, mostly sushi, sashimi and seafood, served from a naked maiden's body will be extremely fresh and pure and boost their appetite. The banquet is not seen a lot in Japan nowadays, except in a few top tourist resorts in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Nyotaimori was banned in China years ago when it was first introduced in a southern city in the country because it was contravention of Chinese tradition and moral standards and involved a risk to health, Xinhua said.