Kishi Ace, a hotel manager in Kyoto, Japan, explained that Israeli guests are asked to sign a pledge affirming they have not committed war crimes, as part of the hotel’s stance against remaining passive in light of the ongoing crisis affecting children in Gaza.
Describing Israel’s attacks on Gaza as "totally unacceptable," Kishi told Anadolu Agency (AA) that such actions constitute a clear violation of international law.
Having worked for many years as a teacher and educated many students, Kishi said: "Whenever I see the pictures and videos of the children killed in Gaza every day, I can't help but think of my own students. I couldn't just stay passive. So, I thought, what can I do? But in Japan, discrimination is not allowed, and Japanese hotel law doesn't allow us to reject any guests, even if they are involved with military groups. So, we came up with this measure – the pledge to sign – as much as we can do within the law."
He said they have foreign tourists sign a pledge affirming they have not committed war crimes, even though legally they cannot refuse service to any guests.
Kishi explained that the typical reservation process begins with a pre-reservation, followed by in-person check-in, where the guest's nationality and passport are verified. The guest’s country is then checked against International Criminal Court (ICC) records for war crimes. Finally, the guest is asked to sign a form confirming they have not been involved in military or paramilitary forces from that country in the past 10 years and have not committed war crimes.
"But Japanese law doesn't allow us to refuse guests in any way," Kishi said. "So, they can stay whether they sign it or not. It doesn’t matter."
He said the measure has been in place for the past six months, and all hotel guests have signed the declaration form.
He also described the pledge as a "safety" and "peace of mind" measure.
"This is our responsibility to guarantee the safety of other guests and ensure a comfortable stay," he added.
He also noted: "Some countries are ignoring international laws and violating them. That should not be overlooked. It’s not happening directly in Japan, of course, but international law is something that all human beings must follow."
"In Russia, Ukraine and Gaza, so many war crimes have been identified as wrong," he added. "People from those areas come here, forget everything they have done, and enjoy a vacation in Japan."
Kishi said the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo criticized their stance as discriminatory after a signed declaration became public.
The hotel manager emphasized that their actions were not discriminatory but a response to Israel’s violations of international law, particularly in Gaza. He added that discrimination applies to unchangeable traits like race or gender, while the hotel’s policy was based on Israel's conduct.
He criticized the Japanese government for not strongly condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza after October 2023, suggesting that Japan prioritizes alignment with the U.S. over taking a firm stance.
Kishi expressed support for the ICC's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and stated that if he visits Japan, he should be arrested to uphold Japan’s international credibility.
The Israeli army has launched a brutal military onslaught on Gaza, killing nearly 52,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.
The ICC issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
