Ministry of Heath, Labour and Welfare and Japan Tourism Agency jointly issued an official notice to familiarize international vacation rental or home sharing platforms with the amended Hotel Business Act, which was effective on April 1 2016. The amendment calls for permission as a cheap lodging house to vacation rental or home sharing under National Strategic Special Zones Law.
The issued report requests international vacation rental or home sharing platforms of the following four points:
1) to inform hosts and guests on the platform of the amended Hotel Business Act
2) to encourage hosts to acquire permission as a cheap lodging house
3) to let hosts know that a room of an apartment must not be listed
4) to cooperate with law enforcement to provide information on listed hosts
The Hotel Business Act is basically enforced to vacation rental or home sharing service providers, however it is realistically difficult to identify listed properties. Accordingly, the authority is trying to encourage platforms to help hosts acquire permission.
Three or four U.S. or Europe-based platforms and two or three China-based platforms are subject to the official request. As far as Airbnb with about 30,000 properties on its list is concerned, the official request has already been informed in early April.
Ministry of Heath, Labour and Welfare has launched a new Q&A page for vacation rental or home sharing service under the amended Hotel Business Act on its official website, and will hold an explanation meeting for persons in change of local governments on April 27 to disseminate the amended contests for flexible operation of the codes.
In Japanese
