Jun 15 (Japan Times) - 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 very excited to be a part of this important development,†Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of the San Francisco-based room-sharing giant that lists more than 5 million homes worldwide, said Thursday at a Tokyo news conference in the Shibuya district.
Among the new initiatives is a service called Airbnb Plus, which lists only “high standard†homes in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
It also plans to expand counseling services for Airbnb hosts in more regions and help them register their homes, post good photos and handle operations.
Some media reports say Airbnb had more than 60,000 homes listed in March but delisted nearly 80 percent of them after the Japan Tourism Agency, which oversees accommodation platforms like Airbnb, announced earlier this month that private websites offering such lodging would have to delist unlicensed properties.
Hosts must register with local authorities before offering short-term rental services, and the platforms are asked not to list hosts that aren’t registered.
Airbnb issued a statement last week that said it negotiated with the regulator but ended up having to cancel reservations “scheduled for guest arrival between June 15 and June 19 at a listing in Japan that does not currently have a license.â€
“Going forward, unless the government reverses its position, we will automatically cancel and fully refund any reservations at listings in Japan that have not been licensed within 10 days of guest arrival,†the statement said.
