Palestinian American comedian Sammy Obeid says Japan held him for 24 hours, denying entry

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Palestinian American comedian Sammy Obeid said Friday that Japanese authorities denied him entry and held him alone for nearly 24 hours after determining that he lacked the appropriate visa for planned stand-up shows in Tokyo.

“The Japanese government denied me entry and held me in solitary confinement for 24 hours over a standup comedy show with 40 attendees,” Obeid wrote in a five-part thread on the US social media company X.

Obeid said he arrived in Tokyo two days before the performances with two other comedians, both of whom entered the country without difficulty.

According to his account, immigration officials placed him in a holding room for “security reasons” and later questioned him through an interpreter about his occupation, travel plans and intended activities in Japan.

Japanese authorities had not publicly commented on his account as of Friday, and his description of the detention conditions could not be independently verified.

Obeid said officials demanded an hour-by-hour itinerary for his four-day stay and asked about the countries he planned to visit after Japan.

The questioning eventually turned to his planned stand-up performances. Obeid said authorities told him that he did not have the correct visa to work as an entertainer.

Obeid acknowledged that the visa issue was partly his responsibility, saying he had been unable to secure the sponsorship required for the relevant visa because of the small size of the venues.

He said nobody in Japan was paying him directly and that tickets had been sold through a US-based platform. Based on advice he had received and his experience on previous trips, he believed he would be permitted to enter.

“And yeah, it’s on me for not seeing this coming,” he wrote, while arguing that the arrangements were the only practical way to perform for his relatively small Japanese audience.

Japanese immigration rules classify theatrical and other entertainment performances under the “Entertainer” residence status.

The country’s Foreign Ministry says short-term visits for tourism or business must not include paid activities, while the entertainer visa process generally requires a Certificate of Eligibility.

Obeid said he was offered the option of appealing the refusal but was told the process could take 72 hours and that he would remain confined while the appeal was considered. He instead agreed to leave.

He claimed he was then kept alone for about 22 hours without food, a shower, his phone, a laptop, books or writing materials. His luggage was also searched for weapons and drugs, he said.

Obeid said officials required him to return to the US on the same airline on which he had arrived, rejecting his request to continue his tour by flying to Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Although he conceded that authorities had identified a visa violation,

Obeid said he believed he was singled out, either because he had been flagged as suspicious or because of a decision made before his arrival.

Obeid cancelled the weekend performances and offered ticket holders a refund, admission to another show or access to a future virtual performance for fans in Japan.

The comedian, who describes himself as Lebanese-Palestinian-Syrian-Italian-American, has appeared on Conan, America’s Got Talent and Netflix’s 100 Humans. He is also known for incorporating Palestine and Israel’s war on Gaza into his performances.