KYOTO—A lodging facility in Kyoto has drawn a protest from the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo for asking an Israeli man to sign a pledge that he had never been involved in war crimes.
The Israeli Embassy called it “discriminatory” and demanded that both the Kyoto prefectural and city governments prevent the recurrence of such a situation.
However, the facility said it will continue to ask guests with military-related backgrounds to sign the pledge, based on its philosophy of not tolerating war crimes.
Israel has been engaged in a military conflict with Hamas-led Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and Israel since October 2023.
‘GREAT EMOTIONAL STRESS’ CAUSED
According to sources, in mid-April, an Israeli man checked in at a guesthouse in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward and was asked to sign a form titled, “Pledge of Non-Involvement in War Crimes.”
The man was puzzled, but signed it and stayed at the facility for four nights, according to sources.
The Israeli Eembassy learned of the incident, and in late April, sent a letter under the name of Gilad Cohen, the Ambassador of Israel to Japan, to Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki.
Calling the incident discriminatory, causing great emotional distress and unacceptable, the embassy asked for an investigation by the prefectural government.
After being contacted by the prefectural government, the Kyoto city government conducted an interview with the guesthouse.
The city determined that signing the pledge is voluntary and does not violate the Hotel Business Law, which prohibits the refusal to accommodate guests except under certain circumstances.
However, the city told the guesthouse that some people may feel it is discriminatory and inappropriate.
Subsequently, in early May, the embassy sent a letter to Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui, requesting a reinvestigation and appropriate measures be taken.
In the letter, Cohen stated that the guesthouse’s action is inconsistent with the spirit of Japan’s “omotenashi” hospitality, demanding the city take necessary measures to prevent it from happening again.
The city government said it is considering its future response.
Furthermore, Cohen on May 10 posted a statement on his X account, saying that he is “deeply concerned.”
“This is a blatant act of discrimination against Israeli citizens and an unacceptable attempt to equate them with war criminals,” he said.
NOT JUST ISRAELI GUESTS SINGLED OUT
In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, the manager of the guesthouse said the facility has been asking some of their guests to sign the pledge for about six months.
The guests asked to sign the pledge are those who are from 10 countries and regions—including Israel, Palestine, Russia and Syria—and have served in the military in the past 10 years.
The manager said the facility determines which guests are eligible based on the decisions of the International Criminal Court and U.N. agencies.
As to why, the manager cited its philosophy of not tolerating war crimes, as well as “to ensure the safety and security of other guests and staff due to the nature of the facility, which has many shared rooms.”
The manager said that even if guests refuse to sign the pledge, the facility will not refuse to accommodate them, and that it has never had anyone refuse to sign it, and that it has never refused to accommodate their guests.
The manager stated that the guesthouse will continue to ask for signatures.
2ND SUCH INCIDENT IN LESS THAN A YEAR
In June 2024, the Kyoto city government issued administrative guidance to the management company of a hotel in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward for violating the Hotel Business Law after the facility refused to accommodate an Israeli man because he might belong to the Israeli military.
The Israeli Embassy also protested at that time, calling the incident discriminatory and unacceptable.
(This article was written by Rika Hayashi and Miu Yamada.)
AloJapan.com