APA Group (Japan)

{{Infobox company

| name = APA Group

| logo = APA Group logo.png

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| image = アパグループ本社.jpg

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| image_caption = APA Head Office in Akasaka

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| native_name = アパグループ

| native_name_lang = ja

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| type = Kabushiki gaisha

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| industry = Hospitality

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| founded = {{Start date and age|1988|04|01}}

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| hq_location = Akasaka, Minato-ku

| hq_location_city = Tokyo

| hq_location_country = Japan

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| key_people = Toshio Motoya

| products =

| brands = APA Hotels

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| website = {{URL|http://www3.apahotel.com/}}

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{{nihongo|APA Group|アパグループ|Apa Gurūpu}}, commonly known as APA (Always Pleasant Amenities), is a Japanese hospitality group that operates a chain of hotels in the country. APA Hotels operate in Japan with more than 300 properties.{{Cite web| title = APA Hotel Official Site| access-date = 2019-12-23 | url = https://www.apahotel.com/c/brand/ja_en/index.html}}

APA has been noted in Japan for its proximity to the far right, particularly visible through the works considered revisionist and anti-Semitic that can be found in the brand's rooms, and the links of its founder with far-right figures such as Steve Bannon.

== Expansion abroad==

APA expanded into the United States on November 13, 2015, with the APA Hotel Woodbridge (formerly a Hilton) in Iselin, New Jersey. APA acquired the Vancouver-based Coast Hotels in 2016. There are plans to open more hotels in the U.S. in the future.{{Cite web| title = Japan's APA Hotel in $160M Takeover of 41 Canadian-US Okabe, Coast Hotels| work = ExitHub| access-date = 2017-11-27| date = 2016-08-07| url = https://exithub.com/japans-apa-hotel-in-160m-takeover-of-41-canadian-us-okabe-coast-hotels/| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044944/https://exithub.com/japans-apa-hotel-in-160m-takeover-of-41-canadian-us-okabe-coast-hotels/| archive-date = 2017-12-01| url-status = dead}}

Controversy

APA Group distributes political propaganda written by its president, Toshio Motoya, a strong supporter of revisionist historical views aligned with those of Japan's far-right.[http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170118/p2a/00m/0na/017000c Japanese hotel chain's books denying Nanjing Massacre spark criticism in China], The Mainichi (January 18, 2017). For example, in a series of interviews published online from APA Group's magazine Apple Town, Motoya referred to Japanese aggression, the Nanjing Massacre, and the sex slavery of comfort women as "fabricated stories created to dishonor Japan"{{cite web|title=The Constitution of Japan Should be Reformed Starting From the Preamble|url=http://en.apa-appletown.com/bigtalk/60|work=Apple Town|access-date=15 Jan 2017}} he claimed that having spoken to many important figures in the 81 countries he has visited and to many ambassadors to Japan that "not a single person believes in things such as the Nanking Massacre or comfort women story..."{{cite web|title=The United States is Bound by the Curse of the Atomic Bombs|url=http://en.apa-appletown.com/bigtalk/201|work=Apple Town|access-date=15 Jan 2017}} Such views are known to create negative feelings in neighboring countries such as China and South Korea. These publications are widely distributed in APA Hotels. In addition, Motoya disclosed in his books that he plans to give maximum support to the Abe administration to rebuke China and Korea on these historical issues. Some Chinese tourist organizations are boycotting the chain.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying stated that the China National Tourism Administration has requested to all Chinese companies and websites to not conduct business with APA, and for people to not go to their hotels, she said "China is willing to have friendly interactions with Japan, but will never tolerate flagrant provocations distorting the history and offending the Chinese people."{{cite web |title=Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on January 24, 2017 |url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/t1433525.shtml |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China |access-date=21 June 2018 |date=24 January 2017}}

Safety issues

In 2007, several APA hotels were discovered to have faked their earthquake safety data with some buildings having only 70 percent of the legally required structural strength. This greatly reduced construction costs but put customers at risk as Japan is amongst the world's most earthquake prone countries.[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/02/15/national/osaka-shuts-down-apa-hotel-due-to-quake-safety-flaws/ Osaka shuts down Apa hotel due to quake-safety flaws], Japan Times (February 15, 2007).

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www3.apahotel.com/}}
M. Schreiber, [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/02/11/national/media-national/defiant-apa-paints-target-back/#.WKAaZfLNP5u Defiant Apa paints a target on its back], The Japan Times (February 11, 2017)
M. Penn, [https://shingetsunewsagency.com/2021/11/24/apa-hotel-amenities-not-always-pleasant/ APA Hotel Amenities Not Always Pleasant], Shingetsu News Agency (November 24, 2021)

Category:1988 establishments in Japan

Category:Hospitality companies of Japan

Category:Hotel chains in Japan

Category:Hotels established in 1988

Category:Japanese brands

Category:Service companies based in Tokyo

Category:Comfort women denial

Category:Nanjing Massacre deniers

Category:Historical negationism in Japan