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Japan Mulls Raising Departure Tax to Fund Overtourism Measures
Some are livid that Japan’s plan to raise the departure tax to between 3,000 to 5,000 yen would apply to Japanese citizens as well.
By Jay Allen
Japan’s been successful at getting tourists to the country. Perhaps too successful. To fund overtourism countermeasures, the Japanese government is now weighing raising a key tax on people returning home. Some Japanese citizens, however, are up in arms that the tax will apply to them as well.
No concrete proposals yet
According to Yomiuri Shimbun, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is considering raising the departure tax (出国税; shukkokuzei), which is currently a mere 1,000 yen (USD $6.67). Various proposals floated within the party are throwing out numbers between 3,000 yen ($20) and 5,000 yen ($33). The tax is collected as part of one’s departure ticket.
The amount would bring Japan in line with other countries that have decently-sized departure taxes. Australia, currently charges AUD $70 — the second-highest in the world next to Britain. Japan’s proposal would bring it closer in line to countries like Egypt, Jamaica, and Canada.
The government would use funds to address overtourism, which is accelerating even as Japan’s government hopes to welcome 60 million visitors a year by 2030. (It’s currently welcoming around 36 million yearly.) The money could help improve airport facilities, public transportation, and the creation of faster and cheaper routes to less-congested regions of the country.
The Japanese government, regional governments, and even private companies are already evolving strategies for overtourism. Kyoto announced last year it was launching a bus service specifically for tourists to reduce crowding on public transit. Japan is also allowing gig economy rideshare for the first time in select regions to offset the boom in unlicensed (so-called “white”) taxis in recent years.
