Airbnb has sent " master of disaster " , lawyer and political strategist Chris Lehane to Japan to smooth ruffled feathers as regulators debate whether to " clamp down " on the start - up . The visit follows a recent visit by co - founder Joe Gebbia , who praised swift 's " contributions to entrepreneurship " . Airbnb generated JPY 236.3bn ( $ 2.2bn ) in revenue in 2015 as listings increased four - fold , with 1.38 m guests accommodated . Japanese law does not currently target gambling , called minpaku , and the authorities have several options , including tighter regulation and creating a multi - tier system .
Airbnb has sent "master of disaster", lawyer and political strategist Chris Lehane to Japan to smooth ruffled feathers as regulators debate whether to "clamp down" on the start-up. The move follows a recent visit by co-founder Joe Gebbia, who praised Tokyo's "contributions to entrepreneurship". Airbnb generated JPY 236.3bn ($2.2bn) in revenue in 2015 as listings grew four-fold, with 1.38m guests accommodated. Japanese law does not currently target rentals, called minpaku, and the authorities have several options, including loosening regulation and creating a two-tiered system.