Japanese convenience store chain Ministop announced that it has suspended sales of onigiri (rice balls) and other items at some of its outlets due to incorrect expiry date labels.

The products with incorrect expiration dates were onigiri and bento boxes that were cooked and prepared in 23 stores across 7 prefectures.

The problem was discovered during regular internal inspections of its stores.

According to regulations, expiry labels must be affixed to the products immediately after being prepared, but in this case, they were affixed several hours later.

In some cases, labels were affixed twice to extend the expiration date.

Ministop announced that it has suspended sales of items prepared in-store until the investigation is complete.

However, the convenience store chain says it's still selling onigiri and side dishes that are made in factories, and that it's committed to providing safe and reliable products.