{
  "id": 6137972,
  "title": "Tokyo ward looking to change lodging laws, ban more than half of its Airbnb-style rentals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/tokyo-ward-looking-to-change-lodging-laws-ban-more-than-half-of-its",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-07T13:00:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SoraNews24",
    "slug": "soranews24",
    "url": "https://soranews24.com/2026/09/07/tokyo-ward-looking-to-change-lodging-laws-ban-more-than-half-of-its-airbnb-style-rentals/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Shinjuku, a prominent area in Japan with more private lodging rentals than any other region, may be set to ban over half of its Airbnb-style accommodations due to increasing complaints from residents. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, there are 42,070 short-term private lodging rental properties nationwide, with Shinjuku Ward having the highest number. The local government aims to introduce changes that would force more than half of Shinjuku's short-term rentals to close down, citing issues such as litter, noise, and trespassing.\n\nThe current legislation, known as minpaku, was introduced in 2018 to attract visitors and provide independent traveler options. However, with Japan becoming an increasingly popular destination due to factors like the yen's value and global interest in Japanese culture, overtourism has become a pressing issue. Residents near minpaku rentals have complained about various disturbances, leading the authorities to issue 29 temporary and five permanent closure orders for violations in 2025.\n\nRecognizing the strain on their resources, Shinjuku Ward's authorities have decided to draft a new ordinance that would ban new minpaku rentals within residential zones and near schools. The ordinance would apply to existing rentals as well, affecting roughly 2,000 of the 3,775 private lodging rentals in Shinjuku. While there may be a grace period and exceptions for certain managerial criteria, the number of days minpaku can have guests would be reduced from 180 to 120 per year.\n\nThe proposed ordinance is expected to be formally proposed in February and take effect the following summer, aiming to address the concerns of locals and potentially improve their quality of life amidst Japan's travel boom.",
  "summary": "Shinjuku has more private lodging rentals than any other part of Japan, but a whole lot of them could be going away as pushback against overtourism continues. According to the Japan Tourism Agency’s most recent statistics, there are 42,070 Airbnb-style short-term private lodging rental properties across the country, and no city or ward has more […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}