NEWSWORTHY
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. But after a new law for such lodgings took effect on June 15, most of the more than 3,000 ...
With thousands of Airbnb reservations scrapped and Uber reduced to delivering food, life is hard in Japan for the giants of the sharing economy: They're stuck between tough regulation and popular suspicion. Japan may be the world's third-largest economy and a high-tech hub but it ...
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.
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.
Airbnb Inc. said Thursday that it is still removing "thousands" of listings from its website for unlicensed private lodgings in Japan, as required under a new law that took effect last week to cope with a sharp increase in foreign visitors and a consequent ...
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.
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. Friday "marks the first official day of the home sharing economy and we are ...
Airbnb users face summer crunch as Japan seeks delisting of unlicensed lodgings
Last Friday, the Japan Tourism Agency announced that private lodging service websites would have to remove properties without licensing as soon as possible.
Airbnb drops nearly 80 percent of its private home listings ahead of new peer-to-peer rental law
Just over a week before a new law for minpaku goes into effect, rental website Airbnb has dropped nearly 80 percent of its listings for the services in three months.
FamilyMart to let Airbnb users in Japan pick up keys at convenience stores
Major convenience store FamilyMart Co. said Monday it will allow tourists staying in short-term accommodations rented through Airbnb Inc. to receive and return door keys at some of its stores. Ahead of a new law on the minpaku (private lodging) business that takes force in ...
Canadian gets second Japanese arrest warrant in alleged minpaku drug-smuggling cases
A fresh arrest warrant has been served to a Canadian man for allegedly smuggling stimulants into Japan by sending them to a minpaku (private lodging service) facility in Tokyo. The man, who has already been prosecuted for a similar offense, is suspected of sending the ...
In Japan, new rules may leave short-term lodging industry out in the cold
Japan's new law on short-term lodging services was meant to ease a shortage of hotel rooms, bring order to an unregulated market, and offer more options for foreign visitors ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Instead, the law is ...
