Tokyo's Shinjuku Moves to Ban New Minpaku as Transport Minister Welcomes Tighter Rules

For Taiwanese who plan to run a minpaku in Japan or routinely book one, note this: Tokyo's Shinjuku and other wards are barring new residential home-sharing listings, and Transport Minister Kaneko has publicly welcomed the move toward proper operation. Japan's stance on residential short-term rentals is shifting from open-for-business to managing nuisance. For would-be investors the signal is clear: the bar to enter prime central residential districts is rising, so any plan anchored in dense housing areas should price in the risk of being blocked by local rules. Existing licensed units may even grow scarcer near-term, but the direction is tighter, not looser. For ordinary travelers the near-term impact is small, though peak-season licensed supply could tighten. Watch which wards follow Shinjuku, and whether the central government turns these local moves into a national standard.