Japan has a glut of 8.5 million akiya, empty 'ghost houses' left to rot. Now Airbnb wants to fill them with tourists.

• Airbnb wants to use a growing glut of abandoned homes in Japan to boost its business.
• It told Nikkei that it wants to partner with local governments to encourage home owners to renovate.
• Japan has around 8.5 million akiya, or empty homes, as its population shrinks and ages.

Airbnb is looking to capitalize on a growing swathe of empty houses in Japan, hoping to convince owners to remodel the vacant homes into tourist attractions.