Is it legal to rent out an apartment on Airbnb without registration in downtown Tokyo?

In Tokyo, the legality of renting out an apartment on Airbnb without registration hinges on compliance with Japan’s Minpaku law, which governs private lodging businesses. This law, effective from June 2018, requires hosts to register their lodgings with the local government and obtain a license before listing and renting out their properties on platforms like Airbnb. The regulation was introduced to address safety concerns and to manage the impact of short-term rentals on local communities. Hosts must also adhere to local regulations, which can vary by ward in Tokyo. For example, there may be restrictions on the number of days a property can be rented out annually, and specific rules regarding the management of waste and noise.

Trivia: Tokyo introduced these regulations in part due to concerns about a shortage of hotel rooms as the city prepared for the influx of tourists for the 2020 Olympics, which were later postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.