Photo/Illutration The exterior of a private lodging facility in Osaka’s Chuo Ward in April 2020 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OSAKA--A certification system for “minpaku” private lodging facilities is to be introduced here for the first time as operators gear up for an influx of foreign visitors following the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The aim of the system is to help travelers find accommodation that meet safety and other standards.

The Osaka-based Japan Association of Private Accommodations, which is comprised of minpaku operators, is set to put the certification system into operation as early as this month.

It intends to eliminate illegal operators and differentiate those offering low-quality services from certified lodgings to improve the image of the industry.

To become certified, minpaku operators must meet around 110 standards, covering safety measures, hygiene practices, management and other aspects, through on-site surveys.

The association will evaluate operators willing to obtain certification based on factors such as whether they provide garbage disposal rules in foreign languages, have anti-infection measures in place, come with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and other emergency health equipment and are prepared to deal with complaints from neighbors.

Certified facilities will be introduced by tourism bureaus and tourist information offices on a preferential basis. They will also be listed on a booking website set up by the association.

On-site surveys will be conducted for a fee, and the association is in the process of determining the price.

The association plans to start the certification system in Osaka Prefecture, which boasts a high number of minpaku operators, before covering other prefectures across the country in or after 2023.

Non-association members can also apply for certification.

The number of people renting out parts of their homes and vacant apartments continued increasing after a new law took effect in 2018 to legalize private lodgings for rental purposes.

Prior to the novel coronavirus pandemic that flared in early 2020, non-Japanese guests accounted for about 70 percent of minpaku users in some periods.

Operators are obliged by law to register their properties as private lodgings with their local government offices before starting a minpaku business.

However, some property owners began operating without permission and failed to tell their foreign guests about garbage disposal rules, often resulting in problems with neighbors.

Many operators went out of business as the novel coronavirus spread, resulting in the number of association members being reduced by half.

But those numbers are expected to rebound once foreign visitors start flocking to Japan again.

The government in May lifted its ban on foreign tourists entering Japan and began allowing small tour groups of visitors on a trial basis.

“If we don’t take any steps, there will be a lot of trouble when we receive inbound tourists again,” Toshio Oue, who heads the association, told The Asahi Shimbun. “We don’t want to make the same mistakes again.”

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