On the 13th, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that tower mansions in central Tokyo are increasingly being used as unlicensed lodging facilities. Reservations and recruitment are being conducted through the Chinese social networking service (SNS) "Xiaohongshu" (RED).

According to Nikkei, a 38th-floor unit in a 45-story tower mansion in Minato Ward, Tokyo, was advertised on Xiaohongshu as a short-term rental property. The post featured phrases like "best view, short-term rental available," alongside descriptions such as "80 square meters, 3 rooms" and "3 minutes walk from the station."

When reporters inquired, the poster initially quoted 90,000 yen (approx. 760,000 won) per night, but raised the rate to 120,000 yen (approx. 1.01 million won) during the conversation. A minimum 3-night stay was required, and with an added cleaning fee of 20,000 yen (approx. 170,000 won), the total requested came to 380,000 yen (approx. 3.2 million won).

When reporters checked the property registry, they found that the owner was a real estate brokerage and minpaku (private lodging) management company based in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The company's president is presumed to be of Chinese nationality. A company employee explained, "It was purchased for investment purposes," but denied, "No minpaku operations are taking place in that tower mansion."

Another case suspected of unlicensed minpaku operation was confirmed at a 32-story tower mansion in the same Minato Ward. The room booked by Nikkei reporters through a Xiaohongshu post was about 60 square meters in size and could accommodate up to six people. Outside the window, the Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge were visible. The lodging fee for two nights was 104,000 yen (approx. 880,000 won).

Neither of these rooms appeared on the list of minpaku facilities published by Minato Ward. The building's management regulations also prohibited minpaku operations. The ward health center stated that while it had received related inquiries, it had not secured definitive evidence. The room owners and payment account holders also denied allegations of unauthorized minpaku operations.

(The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Pexels)

While Minato Ward has launched crackdowns on unlicensed minpaku, it is struggling to identify the actual operators. This is because reservations and payments are frequently processed on foreign-language websites, and if guests claim they are just visiting an acquaintance's home, it is difficult to prove actual commercial lodging.

Complaints related to minpaku are also on the rise. In Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, illegal minpaku complaints for fiscal year 2025 surged by about 80% compared to the previous year, exceeding 400 cases. Last month, the ward announced that it will fundamentally ban minpaku operations in residential-only zones and around schools.

Concerns are also being raised that the anonymity of urban tower mansions, where interactions among neighbors are rare, can be exploited for criminal activities. In fact, there have been cases in Japan where tower mansion units were uncovered being used as illegal gambling dens. Critics point out that because it is difficult to discern internal usage from the outside and resident interactions are sparse, illegal activities easily go unnoticed.

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