①Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 3, paragraph (1) of the Hotel Business Act, a person that has notified the prefectural governor (or the head of a city that establishes health centers or of a special ward (hereinafter referred to as a "city with a health center or special ward") which handle administrative affairs for the private lodging business or other prescribed business prescribed in Article 68, paragraph (1) (the same applies hereinafter, except for paragraph (7) of this Article and paragraphs (1) and (2) of that Article)) that they will run a private lodging business may run the private lodging business.

②A person that seeks to make the notification referred to in the preceding paragraph must submit a written notification stating the following particulars to the prefectural governor for each residence where the person seeks to run a private lodging business, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare:

③The written notification referred to in the preceding paragraph must be accompanied by a drawing of the residence relating to the relevant notification, a document pledging that the person seeking to make the notification referred to in paragraph (1) does not fall under any of the items of the following Article, and other documents specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

④If there has been a change in the particulars listed in paragraph (2), items (i) through (iii), (v), or (vii), the private lodging business operator must notify the prefectural governor to that effect within 30 days from the day of that change, and if it seeks to change the particulars listed in item (vi) of that paragraph, it must notify the prefectural governor to that effect before the change.

⑤The provisions of paragraph (3) apply mutatis mutandis to the notification under the preceding paragraph.

⑥If a private lodging business operator falls under any of the following items, the person specified in the items must notify the prefectural governor to that effect within 30 days from that date (or in the case of item (i), from the date of learning of that fact) pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare:

⑦If a prefectural governor has accepted a notification under paragraph (1) or (4) or the preceding paragraph, and a residence subject to that notification is located within a city with a health center or a special ward (excluding those whose head handles administrative affairs for the private lodging business or other prescribed business prescribed in Article 68, paragraph (1)), the governor must notify the head of that city or special ward to that effect without delay.

Any person who falls under any of the following categories must not run a private lodging business:

A private lodging business operator must take measures that are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and are necessary to ensure the hygiene of lodgers for its notified residence, such as limiting the number of lodgers according to the floor area of each room (limited to those used for a private lodging business; the same applies in Article 11, paragraph (1), item (i)), or periodical cleaning.

A private lodging business operator must take measures that are specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and are necessary to ensure the safety of lodgers in the event of a fire or other disasters for its notified residence, such as installing emergency lighting fixtures or marking evacuation routes.

A private lodging business operator must take measures that are specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and are necessary to ensure the comfort and convenience of lodgers who are foreign tourists, such as providing foreign language guidance to lodgers who are foreign tourists on how to use the facilities of a notified residence, providing information on how to use public transportation for travel in a foreign language.

①A private lodging business operator must keep a register of the lodgers in notified residences and other places specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, enter the full names, addresses, occupations and other information specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and submit this when requested by the prefectural governor.

②Lodgers must inform the private lodging business operator of the information specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as referred to in the preceding paragraph when requested to do so.

①A private lodging business operator must explain particulars that should be considered for preventing noise and other particulars that are specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and are necessary for preventing adverse effects on the living environment in the surrounding area of notified residence, to lodgers, pursuant to Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

②A private lodging business operator must provide explanations under the preceding paragraph to lodgers who are foreign tourists in a foreign language they can speak.

A private lodging business operator must respond appropriately and promptly to complaints and enquiries from residents of the surrounding area of the notified residence.

①When any of the following items applies, a private lodging business operator must entrust its private lodging management services subject to the relevant notified residence to a private lodging manager pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; provided, however, that this does not apply if the private lodging business operator is a private lodging manager, and the private lodging business operator provides the private lodging management services for the notified residence on its own:

②The provisions of Article 5 through the preceding Article do not apply to a private lodging business operator that runs a private lodging business in a notified residence for which private lodging management services have been entrusted.

If a private lodging business operator entrusts another person with the conclusion of a private lodging business contract (meaning a contract for the provision of private lodging in a notified residence to a lodger; the same applies hereinafter) as its agent or intermediary, the business operator must entrust this to a private lodging intermediary or travel agent.

Private lodging business operators must display a sign in the form specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in a place easily visible to the public for each notified residence.

A private lodging business operator must report regularly to the prefectural governor on the number of days that the business operator let persons stay in its notified residence and other particulars specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, pursuant to Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

If a prefectural governor finds it necessary to do so in order to ensure proper operation of the private lodging business, the prefectural governor may order the private lodging business operator to change its business methods or take other measures necessary to improve its business operation, to the extent necessary for that purpose.

①If a private lodging business operator has violated laws and regulations or an order under the preceding Article in relation to the private lodging business it runs, the prefectural governor may order the suspension of all or part of its business for a specified period not exceeding one year.

②A prefectural governor may order the discontinuation of a private lodging business if a private lodging business operator has violated laws and regulations or an order under the preceding Article or the preceding paragraph in relation to the private lodging business it runs, and the purpose of supervision cannot be achieved by other means.

③If the prefectural governor has issued an order under the preceding two paragraphs, the prefectural governor must give notification to that effect to the private lodging business operator without delay, indicating the reasons for the order.

①If the prefectural governor finds it necessary to do so in order to ensure the proper operation of a private lodging business, it may request the private lodging business operator to report on its business, or may have their officials enter the notified residence or other facilities, inspect the state of its business or equipment, books and documents and other items, or ask questions to the persons concerned.

②The official who conducts an on-site inspection pursuant to the preceding paragraph must carry identification and present it to the person concerned.

③The authority to conduct an on-site inspection under paragraph (1) must not be interpreted as having been granted for the purpose of a criminal investigation.

If it is necessary to do so in order to prevent the deterioration of the living environment due to noise emissions and other events caused by the private lodging business, a prefecture (or within a city with a health center or a special ward which handles administrative affairs for the private lodging business or other prescribed business prescribed in Article 68, paragraph (1), that city or special ward) may limit the period for carrying out the private lodging business to the extent considered necessary by specifying the area, in accordance with the criteria specified by a Cabinet Order, and as specified by Prefectural or Municipal Ordinance.

The Commissioner of the Tourism Agency is to provide private lodging business operators with necessary advice and other assistance with regard to measures to improve the reception of foreign tourists, such as the development of facilities with infrastructures that enable the use of the Internet, in order to ensure the proper implementation of the private lodging business.

①The Commissioner of the Tourism Agency is to provide foreign tourists with information on the state of implementation of the private lodging business and other information on the private lodging business in order to increase the convenience regarding foreign tourists' lodging.

②If the Commissioner of the Tourism Agency finds it necessary to do so in order to provide the information referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Commissioner may request the prefectural governor to provide the necessary information concerning notified residences located in the prefecture.

In the provisions of the Building Standards Act (Act No. 201 of 1950) and orders made thereunder, the terms "residences", "row houses", "apartment houses" and "dormitories" include those which are notified residences.