Japan has tripled its outbound tourist tax, effective July 1, to 3,000 yen (about $18.50) from 1,000 yen.
This tax is imposed on all travelers leaving Japanese territory, whether they are foreigners or Japanese citizens, and the amount will be added to the price of air and sea travel tickets and other travel documents purchased from July 1, 2026.
The tax was generating annual revenues of about 50 billion yen, and additional revenues after the increase are expected to rise to about 120 billion yen (about 58 billion rubles) annually.
The Japanese government intends to direct the additional revenues towards addressing the challenges of "overtourism" and tackling the problems caused by the increasing influx of foreign tourists.
In a related context, the Japanese Immigration Agency announced last May its intention to establish a specialized unit by next year to monitor social media and other electronic platforms, with the aim of gathering information about illegal workers and foreigners whose visas have expired.
