Tourism in Japan has grown since a few years
and going by the surge the government has set up a panel to draw up new rules
that would allow individuals to rent private accommodations to tourists. The
use of private houses as lodging is highly anticipated as a measure that would
solve the accommodation shortage. Most owners of such houses, however,
apparently have no license to operate lodgings, meaning they would be in
violation of the Hotel Business Law.
The Healthy, Labor and Welfare Ministry and
the Japan Tourism Agency expect the panel to discuss legal issues and compile a
report in summer or autumn next year. Related ministries and agencies would
then start laying a legal groundwork to permit the practice. The number of
individuals renting private rooms to tourists has rapidly increased through
agencies brokering such accommodations via the Internet. The government’s
Regulatory Reform Council in June called for a review of the actual situation
and to study how the government should regulate operations. Repeatedly
providing private accommodations for a fee is considered a hotel business.
For such operations, owners of such
facilities require permission from local governments, which ensure the hygiene
and safety of an environment. According to the ministry, there were 193 cases
of private houses and condominiums being rented to tourists without permission
in fiscal 2013 and in fiscal 2014