What is behind the “ban” of Israelis entering Japan?

Reports on social media claim that Japan has “officially banned all Israeli tourists from entering its territory”, and imply the existence of formal government decisions or legal action. However, upon investigation, the claim was found to be false.

the truth? There is no evidence that Japan imposed a ban on the entry of Israeli tourists. No announcement has been made by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Immigration Authority, or any embassy or consulate announcing such a policy.

According to the Japanese Embassy in Israel, Israeli citizens are among the citizens of dozens of countries who are allowed to enter Japan without a visa for a short stay of up to 90 days. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also mentions Israel in the list of countries eligible for short-stay visa exemptions.

The source of the error probably stems from specific events related to private hotels in Japan. Since the war there have been a number of incidents between local hotels and Israeli tourists, for example the hotel in Kyoto that required an Israeli guest to sign a statement stating that he had not committed war crimes.

This is what an online advertisement looks like claiming that Israelis cannot enter Japan:

These events have attracted public attention, but it is not an official government policy. These are cases of private businesses and not of border or immigration authorities. No government office in Japan has ordered hotels to refuse Israeli guests, and there is no national regulation requiring such measures.

Another issue that may have caused confusion is the update of the travel warnings of countries such as Japan, China and Great Britain regarding travel to Israel since the war. At the end of 2024, some of the warnings were eased following a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which rekindled media interest.

Travel warnings regulate the safety instructions that a government gives to its citizens traveling abroad. They do not determine who may enter the territory of that country.