Minoru Tanaka has set off a food fight in Japan.

The 52-year-old is president of the company behind Tabelog.com, the country's largest restaurant-review website. By getting diners to post over 5.9 million reviews of nearly 800,000 eateries, Tanaka has brought unprecedented transparency to one of the world's best dining scenes. He has also infuriated chefs and owners along the way.

The local dominance of Tabelog has made it a target of complaints about everything from unfair reviews and incorrect information to the ruination of Japanese cuisine itself — no minor charge in a food-obsessed nation with more three-star Michelin restaurants than any other.