Rakuten considers launching apartment rental service in Japan, could go live as early as next year

▲ Besides capsule hotels, business hotels, and guesthouses, you might soon be able to stay in apartments when traveling to Japan too!(Photo / Reporter Yu Ruru)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

According to Reuters, Rakuten Group is considering launching a short-term apartment rental service similar to Airbnb in Japan. If the group confirms the plan, it could potentially launch as early as 2015.

Rakuten Group’s businesses span food, retail, department stores, finance, construction, tourism, hotels, e-commerce, and sports. Its platforms, Rakuten Ichiba and Rakuten Travel, have also entered the Taiwanese market. Before Rakuten Travel launched a Taiwan version, many backpackers traveling to Japan would visit the Japanese site to find affordable accommodations.

In the Reuters report, an anonymous source stated that Rakuten has commissioned a research firm to develop a service that is simpler to use than Airbnb and can be launched in the market in the shortest possible time. If Rakuten ultimately decides to proceed with the short-term apartment rental service, it could go live as early as early next year.

Given that Japan currently has a high vacancy rate (last year’s figure reached 13%), Reuters believes that Rakuten’s short-term apartment rental service could help reduce the vacancy rate to some extent. Coupled with the recent depreciation of the yen, it may also help attract more international tourists to visit Japan.