Japanese hotel at center of ‘war crimes declaration’ controversy threatens to sue after being removed from booking site
A hotel owner in Kyoto has become the center of a diplomatic dispute after requiring guests from certain countries to sign a declaration stating they have not participated in war crimes.
We first reported on this incident in May, when the policy led to an Israeli guest’s complaint, drawing the attention of the Israeli Embassy and subsequently resulting in the hotel’s removal from the popular ‘Booking.com’ booking website.
The hotel’s owner has now indicated his intention to pursue legal action against the hotel booking platform, indicating that he believes the Israeli Ambassador had applied pressure on the platform to delist them in an act of retaliation.
For the past six months, Ace Kishi, owner of Hotel Wind Villa, has been asking guests from approximately ten nations, including Russia, Israel, Mali, Burundi, and Syria, to sign a statement.
“I am against war crimes, as I hope everyone is,” Kishi explained.
“It’s a small declaration I ask from people from about ten countries to ensure the safety of all my guests. That’s my responsibility as a hotel owner.”
Kishi stated that he has asked guests to sign the declaration four times so far: three times involving Israeli guests and once a Russian guest.
All instances, he claims, proceeded without initial issues, including the most recent Israeli guest.
“He seemed a bit surprised, but he signed it eventually,” Kishi recounted.
“We even talked a bit about the situation in Gaza. He wanted to convince me of his side of the story. The rest of his stay was a bit awkward, but we were civil to each other.”
The Israeli tourist, identified by Israeli media as a field medic for the army, corroborated parts of Kishi’s account in an interview with an Israeli news site. He stated he signed the form because he had “nothing to hide.”
“What I signed is true. I did not commit war crimes, Israeli soldiers don’t do that,” the tourist said.
“I didn’t want any problems, and the form doesn’t mean anything anyway. So I signed it. I don’t think the hotel owner is a bad person or antisemitic. He’s just not well-informed.”
The situation escalated when Gilad Cohen, Israel’s Ambassador to Japan, learned of the declaration.
He publicly condemned Kishi’s measure as “discriminatory” on Israeli media and his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Ambassador Cohen also sent a letter to Kyoto’s mayor, prompting local authorities to question Kishi.
“I explained exactly what I was doing, showed them the form, and told them it had nothing to do with nationality but with war crimes,” Kishi said.
“I was told it wasn’t a violation of Japanese law, but they found it inappropriate. They did try to persuade me to reconsider.”
A spokesperson for the Kyoto municipal government confirmed this to Japanese media.
Days later, Kishi received another letter from Ambassador Cohen, reiterating his claims of discrimination and requesting the practice cease. Kishi responded but received no further communication.
“A day later, I suddenly received a message from Booking.com that my hotel would be removed from their website,” Kishi stated.
“They said it was due to ‘discriminatory acts,’ but didn’t specify anything. I asked for further explanation but didn’t get any. If it was about the Israeli guest, he didn’t even book through Booking.com; he used Expedia.”
Booking.com, in a statement to RTL Nieuws, affirmed its policy of “not accepting any form of discrimination.”
The company added, “In the rare event that we are alerted to discriminatory behavior from an accommodation, we investigate it immediately. That is why we have temporarily blocked this accommodation to further investigate the matter.”
Kishi maintains that his actions are not discriminatory.
“I volunteer with children,” he explained.
“Every day I see many children, and every day I see just as many children being killed in Gaza. It doesn’t stop. What I’m doing is a small contribution to justice, but I want to do it. Western governments, including Japan’s, are not doing it. Then the people must do it.”
Kishi acknowledged the stress the situation has caused but noted he is also receiving widespread positive feedback.
“Tens of thousands of people are being killed in Gaza, Israel is being prosecuted by the ICJ for war crimes, and everyone in the country is conscripted,” Kishi argued. “I don’t think it’s strange that I ask about this.”
Ambassador Cohen holds a different view, asserting that only “Hamas terrorists” are war criminals.
“This is a scandalous form of discrimination, and it is unacceptable to equate our soldiers with war criminals,” he said.
Kishi is being represented by Dutch lawyers Adem Çatbaş and Soz Ali, as Booking.com is based in the Netherlands.
Çatbaş described the hotel’s delisting as “the world turned upside down.” The lawyers argue that Kishi is not discriminating but advocating for human rights.
“This is, apart from an international legal obligation, also a human and ethical obligation. The fact that Wind Villa is now being punished for this is something we will challenge.”
Çatbaş has requested Booking.com reinstate the property no later than the 5th of June, failing which a summary court case will be filed.
This incident echoes a similar event from June last year, where a Japanese hotelier faced a warning from authorities after refusing an Israeli man entry over suspicions of his involvement in the Gaza conflict.
Source: RTL NL
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