Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is actively considering setting up an Airbnb-style apartment rental service.
According to unnamed sources in the company, it has commissioned a detailed study to look at feasibility and demand for a short-term rental service in Japan that would be easier to use than Airbnb.
There is a relatively high number of vacant homes in Japan with government data showing 13% of residential properties were left empty last year.
As Airbnb has found in many cities, short-term renting out of residential property is fraught with legal complications, but the government hopes to relax regulations soon.
Japan hopes to give the economy a boost through increased tourism and has set a target to attract 20 million visitors a year by 2020, when it will host the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Rakuten has a market value of over $16 billion and operates a number of shopping and travel related websites.
It is also in talks with AirAsia to start a joint venture low cost airline in Japan.
