Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, home to the highest number of minpaku (private lodging) facilities in Japan, has decided to ban such operations in residential areas and near schools. This new regulation will apply not only to newly opened minpaku but also to existing facilities, potentially affecting over 2,000 lodgings, which is more than half of the total in the area. While the Japanese government has been expanding minpaku to meet the accommodation demand from inbound tourists, Shinjuku Ward has introduced stringent regulations due to increasing complaints from residents.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Shinjuku Ward plans to amend its minpaku ordinance to prohibit operations in residential zones and educational districts. Existing facilities will be given a grace period before the regulations take effect. However, if property owners meet certain conditions, such as residing on the premises and managing the property directly, they may be allowed to continue operations.
The ward is also considering reducing the number of days minpaku can operate in commercial areas from the current 180 days per year to 120 days. As reported by Nikkei, Shinjuku Ward currently prohibits weekday operations in residential zones, while allowing up to 180 days in other areas. The ward plans to submit the ordinance amendment to the council in February 2027 after gathering resident feedback.
As of July 15, the Japan Tourism Agency reported that Shinjuku Ward has the highest number of registered minpaku in the country, with 3,775 facilities. The Asahi Shimbun noted that nearly 10% of the 42,070 registered minpaku nationwide are located in Shinjuku, a popular area for foreign tourists, including the Kabukicho district.
The increase in minpaku has led to a surge in related complaints. In 2025, Shinjuku Ward received 1,334 complaints and consultations regarding minpaku, including illegal operations, an increase of 542 from the previous year. Complaints have included violations of waste disposal regulations, noise issues, and unauthorized access to private property.
Despite issuing business suspension orders to 29 operators for repeated violations and ordering five to cease operations, complaints have not decreased. According to the Asahi Shimbun, Shinjuku Ward issued a cease operation order to a business that failed to comply with a corrective order issued in December 2022, marking the first time such action has been taken in Tokyo. The ward has concluded that merely identifying and penalizing violators is insufficient to protect residents' living conditions. A Shinjuku Ward official told the Yomiuri, "We lack the personnel to address problematic minpaku individually, so we need to implement uniform regulations."
Japan enacted the minpaku law in June 2018 to accommodate the lodging demand from inbound tourists. However, as disputes and complaints related to minpaku have continued, the Japan Tourism Agency sent a notice to local governments in July, stating that municipalities could prohibit minpaku operations in specific areas if residential and educational environments are compromised. It also indicated that existing facilities could face operational bans after a grace period if no appropriate measures are taken.
The movement to strengthen minpaku regulations is spreading to other regions. The Asahi Shimbun reported that Tokyo's Ota Ward is pursuing an ordinance to ban minpaku operations within 100 meters of residential areas and elementary and middle schools, allowing operations only from Saturday noon to Monday noon in other areas. Nikkei also reported that Toshima Ward plans to prohibit new minpaku openings in 70% of the ward starting in December and limit existing facilities to 120 operating days per year. Kyoto City is also considering measures to effectively ban minpaku operations in residential and industrial areas, although, unlike Shinjuku Ward, the regulations would only apply to new facilities.
Shinjuku Ward's plan to uniformly ban operations for existing facilities is highly unusual in Japan. Masaki Yamashita, a fellow at JTB Research Institute, emphasized the need to adequately explain the necessity of regulations to operators, noting that problematic businesses might relocate or shift to other types of lodging. He suggested that a national-level review of overall accommodation management strategies is necessary.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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