Japan's school uniforms are more expensive for ever, and one newspaper is blaming China's love for lamb hotpot.
Prices for Japan's iconic school uniforms, largely made of wool, have hiked up 3,000 yuan ($27.84) since 2010.
The increase, according to an Asahi Shimbun report Sunday, is due to China's growing appetite for mutton hotpot.
As the world's largest importer of lamb meat, China is affecting the domestic cost of sheep ranching and wool prices, the article explains.
A translation of the article made the rounds on Chinese social media, where many laughed off the notion.
"We are cooking lamb, not wool," wrote "xiaoxiangzi08."
Some used the reasoning to blame Japan for other issues.
"Following this logic, Japan should take responsibility for deforestation due to their pornography industry. More videos lead to more demand for tissues, which leads to more trees being cut," Net user "guangzhouxinfuli" commented.
