Israeli Tourists Refused Accommodation at Hotel in Japan’s Nagano Pref., Prompting Protest by Israeli Embassy and Probe by Prefecture

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:58 JST, December 17, 2025

NAGANO — The Israeli Embassy sent a letter of protest to the Nagano prefectural government after a hotel operator in the prefecture refused to accommodate Israeli tourists, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Following an investigation, the prefecture confirmed that the incident could have been perceived as a refusal based on nationality and issued a verbal warning to the hotel’s operating company.

According to the prefecture, an Israeli travel agency made enquiries with the operator about a reservation in October. During negotiations via social media, the company’s management reportedly wrote that they were “dissatisfied with actions taken against Palestinian people,” which was believed to refer to Israel’s invasion of the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

In response, the Israeli Embassy sent a letter of protest dated Oct. 21 to Nagano Gov. Shuichi Abe, stating that discrimination based on nationality is unacceptable. The embassy also asked the prefecture to investigate, citing the Hotel Business Law which prohibits refusing lodging without just cause.

After the prefecture checked the social media posts, they confirmed that the operating company ultimately refused to accommodate the tourists. However, it was also found that the hotel operator had previously accepted visitors from Israel.

Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen told The Yomiuri Shimbun on Tuesday that exclusion based on nationality is unacceptable and was grateful to the Nagano prefectural government for its firm response to discrimination.