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.

"A task force consisting of 68 people, including retired police officers, investigated over 2,000 minpaku operations, and over 1,800 were ordered shut down. The remainder are moving toward becoming legal operations, and we'll continue to strengthen efforts to crack down on illegal minpaku," Yoshimura announced earlier this month.

The task force was formed as concerns in Osaka are growing over how the city will handle security for next year's Group of 20 meeting for advanced and developing economies. More than 20 world leaders will meet on June 28-29 at Intex Osaka, a facility in the Osaka waterfront area.