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It began with a bogus scallop, but a menu scandal that has engulfed some of Japan's most prestigious hotels and department stores now threatens to undermine the international reputation of the country's vaunted cuisine.

Since one luxury hotel chain admitted lying about the provenance of ingredients on its menus last month, Japanese media have served up almost daily revelations of similar transgressions by restaurants run by well-known hotels and department stores.

The frenzy began when the Hankyu Hanshin hotel chain, based in Osaka, admitted it had given false descriptions of dozens of menu items at some of its restaurants between 2006 and last month, affecting an estimated 78,000 diners.