To rent an apartment in Japan, tenants have long needed to name a guarantor - usually Japanese, with a steady income. But this rule, intended to safeguard owners against non-payment of rent, can exclude non-Japanese from the housing market. Hiroyuki Goto runs a firm striving to promote Japan's internationalization with a guarantor service for international students, and multilingual support that helps foreign clients navigate complex garbage-disposal rules and other potential difficulties.
