Tokku-Minpaku (special-zone minpaku)

Tokku-minpaku is an alternative licensing regime created under Japan's National Strategic Special Zones Act. Inside designated zones it removes the 180-day ceiling entirely, so the same unit can roughly double its booked nights and its NOI. The catches: there is a minimum consecutive-stay requirement (historically 2-6 nights, which narrows your guest funnel), the license runs through the municipality with a site inspection, and a Japanese legal entity is typically required. The zones are geographically limited and not static. Osaka (notably the Nanko/Bays area) is the most developed market; Tokyo's footprint, including parts of Ota-ku historically, is much smaller. Verify the exact property address sits inside a licensable boundary with the city office, not a map. Qualifying properties are usually already bid up to reflect the income upside.