Airbnb Japan denies wrongdoing after raid by competition regulator
Airbnb’s Japan office was raided by officers from the competition regulator last month but insisted it has broken any laws.
The Fair Trade Commission raided its office after media outlets had earlier reported Airbnb was forcing property management agencies not to use other home sharing platforms.
The company denied any wrongdoing.
"Airbnb Japan received an on-site inspection by the Fair Trade Commission and we are cooperating with the commission’s ongoing investigation," Airbnb Japan said in a statement.
"Airbnb does not require hosts or partners in Japan to list properties exclusively with Airbnb."
The inspection took place on October 5.
Japan’s Antimonopoly Law prohibits ‘trading on exclusive terms.’
Airbnb is the largest such home sharing platform doing business in Japan and lists about 58,000 rentals.
Japan is one of its biggest growth markets in Asia.
There are dozens of small scale ‘minpaku’ property management agencies in Japan offering rental intermediary services on behalf of home owners for a commission which partner with Airbnb.
Land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister Keiichi Ishiikeep said his department will keep ‘a close watch over the matter.’
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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