Man Arrested on Suspicion of Falsely Booking 580 Hotel Rooms; Damages Incurred Exceed ¥17 Mil.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:12 JST, July 16, 2025

A 28-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of obstructing business by deception for repeatedly making false accommodation reservations and cancelling outside of the hotel’s terms, the Shinjuku Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department announced Wednesday.

The man, whose occupation is unknown and is from Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, made the reservations at a hotel near Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

It is believed that he falsely booked approximately 580 rooms at the hotel in December last year, incurring damages of more than ¥17 million.

The charge relating to his arrest is for making reservations for a total of 258 rooms under a false name at the hotel in Ota Ward, Tokyo, between Dec. 16 and 19 last year, thereby obstructing the hotel’s business, according to the announcement. The man denies the charge, claiming that he did not enter any false information.

At that time, he was employed as a biomedical laboratory scientist at Shimane University Hospital and had reportedly accessed a booking website through ways including his computer meant for business use.

When the man stayed at the hotel November last year, he complained to the hotel about the staff’s treatment of him. The police are investigating if that is a link to his motive.