Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward is planning to revise its ordinance to ban more than half of the district’s short-term and vacation-rental properties, including Airbnb-type listings, a ward official overseeing holiday rentals told AFP. The ban targets private lodging in residential zones and areas near schools, and — unlike some other cities’ proposals — will apply to existing properties, not only new registrations. The plan is due to be formally announced by the Shinjuku mayor on Tuesday, 8 September.
Shinjuku hosts nearly 10% of Japan’s roughly 42,000 short-term rentals, putting it among the country’s most concentrated short-term-rental markets. With more than half of the ward’s stock now facing a ban, the move is directly relevant to foreign owners and investors holding short-term-rental property in the district.
The ordinance revision follows a July ruling from the Japan Tourism Agency that gave municipalities the right to regulate short-term lodgings where they threaten “a tranquil living and educational environment” or “hinder the maintenance of a permanent population and local community.” The Shinjuku official linked the move directly to resident pressure, saying complaints about vacation rentals rose by around 40% in the fiscal year to March, driven mainly by violations of trash-disposal rules, along with smoking and trespassing complaints. Kyoto is separately considering a short-term-rental ban, but a narrower one limited to new rentals in residential and industrial zones — Shinjuku’s plan is broader in reaching existing operators. The moves echo tightening rules on Airbnb-type platforms already under way in cities including New York and Barcelona.
On timing, the only detail on record is the official’s own account: the plan goes to formal announcement by the Shinjuku mayor on 8 September.
References
Free Malaysia Today – Tokyo’s Shinjuku to ban more than half of vacation rentals
