Palestinian American comedian Sammy Obeid said on Friday that Japanese authorities denied him entry and detained him for nearly 24 hours over a visa issue linked to planned stand-up performances 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 X.
Obeid said he arrived in Tokyo two days before the shows with two other comedians, who were allowed to enter. Immigration officials questioned him through an interpreter about his work, travel plans and activities in Japan.
He said authorities demanded an hour-by-hour itinerary and later told him he lacked the visa required to work as an entertainer.
Japanese authorities had not publicly commented on his account as of Friday, and his description of the detention conditions could not be independently verified.
He acknowledged responsibility
Obeid acknowledged some responsibility for the visa issue, saying he had been unable to secure the sponsorship required for the relevant visa because the venues were small.
He said nobody in Japan was paying him directly and tickets were sold through a US-based platform, leading him to believe he would be allowed entry based on advice and previous travel experience.
“And yeah, it’s on me for not seeing this coming,” he wrote.
Japanese immigration rules classify entertainment performances under the “Entertainer” residence status. Short-term visits for tourism or business cannot include paid activities, while the entertainer visa process generally requires a Certificate of Eligibility.
Obeid said officials offered him the option to appeal the refusal, but told him the process could take 72 hours, during which he would remain confined. He chose to leave instead.
He claimed he was kept alone for about 22 hours without food, a shower, his phone, laptop or reading and writing materials. Officials also searched his luggage for weapons and drugs, he said.
Obeid said authorities required him to return to the US on the airline he had arrived with, rejecting his request to continue his tour in Hong Kong or Taiwan.
Although he accepted that authorities had identified a visa violation, he questioned whether he had been singled out and cancelled his weekend shows, offering ticket holders refunds, admission to another performance or access to a future virtual show.
Obeid, who describes himself as Lebanese-Palestinian-Syrian-Italian-American, has appeared on Conan, America’s Got Talent and Netflix’s 100 Humans. His comedy also addresses Palestine and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
