51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Tag - minpaku

 
Menu
Search
 
July 25, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

MINPAKU

Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 19, 2026
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
The move comes amid complaints of lodgers partying at night, ignoring trash rules, and leaving cigarette butts on the streets.
A private lodging operator in Tokyo has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly violating the law on private lodging business.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2026
Tokyo private lodging firm referred to prosecutors for illegal operations
The company and individuals allegedly breached the law on private lodging.
The Japan Tourism Agency will consider reviewing its guidelines on the private lodging business law as early as fiscal 2026 to set standards for local governments to issue administrative punishments to minpaku operators who fail to address problems.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jan 6, 2026
Japan to work on addressing problematic minpaku lodgings
Demand for minpaku services, which rent out vacant rooms in houses and condominiums mainly to tourists, is growing alongside a rise in tourists to?Japan.
Tourists at Sensoji temple at the Asakusa district in Tokyo. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government said Wednesday that it would shift its accommodation tax to a 3% fixed rate starting in fiscal 2027.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 27, 2025
Tokyo government to shift to fixed-rate accommodation tax
The move is designed to align the tax with guests¡¯ ability to pay as people are increasingly opting for high-priced accommodation.
The Osaka Prefectural Government and several municipalities on Monday submitted a proposal to halt new special-zone minpaku applications, citing repeated complaints about some foreign guests.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Nov 18, 2025
Osaka proposes to halt applications for minpaku private lodgings
The proposal was made in response to resident complaints about the behavior of some foreign guests staying at minpaku facilities.
Tourists in the Dotonbori area in Osaka. Calls are growing in Osaka Prefecture for a review of <i>minpaku</i> private lodging services for tourists, as locals face the issue of bad manners by some foreign guests.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Sep 19, 2025
Review of minpaku private lodgings sought in Osaka
Issues linked to such services became one of the focal points in the July election for the House of Councillors.
An undated photo supplied by a resident of an apartment complex in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward shows people who appear to be staff members offering illegal private lodging services. Their faces are blurred for privacy reasons.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 25, 2025
Around 250 takedown requests made in fiscal 2024 over illegal private lodgings
Operators of private lodgings must notify prefectural governments of their businesses, ensure sanitary conditions and handle complaints.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 27, 2023
Deep in the countryside, a glimpse of Airbnb¡¯s Japan strategy
The short-term lodging service is seeking to build links with communities outside of well-beaten tourist pathways and entice travelers to rural areas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Oct 4, 2020
Private renters in Sapporo launch domestic travel campaign as global travel stalls
In the six months to August, 709 minpaku properties closed down in Sapporo, their number down to around 80 percent of their peak.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Feb 17, 2020
Bureaucrats are to blame for copy-happy hotel clerks
With data privacy being a huge issue, you may feel uneasy about hotels photocopying your passport. However, Colin P.A. Jones says the rule is more about bureaucratic culture than privacy.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2020
Marriott has no plans to offer private lodging service in Japan
Marriott International Inc. has no plans to operate a private lodging service in Japan for the time being due to strict regulations, Rajeev Menon, a senior official of the U.S. hotel chain, said in a recent interview.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 6, 2019
Airbnb listings in Japan rebound after regulatory freeze
Airbnb Inc. says it¡¯s back in business in Japan, a year after stricter short-term lodging regulations forced it to freeze a major portion of its listings in the country.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 17, 2019
Know your rights when checking in at an Airbnb
Last year, the government passed a law covering minpaku, which is when people rent out space on their properties to travelers (a la Airbnb). The law is part of an effort to regulate accommodations amid a tourism boom ahead of the 2020 Olympics.
BUSINESS
Jan 1, 2019
Top business news of 2018
The Japan Times newsroom selected the following business news stories as the most important of 2018.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Nov 26, 2018
Citing G20 security issues, Osaka shuts down over 80% of private lodging operations
Between June and September, over 80 percent of Osaka minpaku private lodgings have been ordered closed by the city, Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura said earlier this month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jul 13, 2018
Large percentage of private lodgings in Okinawa vanish after new minpaku law takes effect
With its abundant, pristine beaches and renowned cultural and historic sites, it¡¯s little surprise that Okinawa Prefecture became a hot market for minpaku (private lodging) services.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 51³Ô¹ÏÍø LITE
Jun 27, 2018
Minpaku law could leave tourists to Japan without beds
Onerous licensing process for private lodging won¡¯t stop bad operators, but it will put off honest would-be entrepreneurs.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 25, 2018
Kyoto ramps up crackdown on illegal P2P lodging after sluggish start to minpaku law
Police and city officials on Monday agreed to increase closures of illegal private lodging facilities just 10 days after a new national law restricting their operation took effect.
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2018
Review ¡®minpaku¡¯ regulations to spur growth
The government should ensure that regulations don¡¯t hamper the growth of the minpaku industry, which is contributing ot the sharp increase in inbound tourism.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2018
Airbnb offers new services day before minpaku law kicks in
A day before a new law on minpaku (private lodging services) takes effect, Airbnb Inc. on Thursday welcomed the change and reinforced its commitment to the Japanese market with fresh initiatives.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse&#039;s brain.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan&#039;s relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces&#039; Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE 51³Ô¹ÏÍø

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER