Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country

As of July, it now costs more both to enter and leave Japan. Last week, the Japanese government decided “Hey, let’s raise the fees for foreigners who need a visa to enter the country by 400 percent!”

As of July, it now costs more both to enter and leave Japan.

Last week, the Japanese government decided “Hey, let’s raise the fees for foreigners who need a visa to enter the country by 400 percent!” That new pricing went into effect on Wednesday, but on the same day the government made it more expensive to leave Japan too by tripling the departure tax for travelers flying out of Japan.

Departure taxes are something that many international travelers don’t really think about, because in the vast majority of countries the tax is added into the total for their flight ticket, with payment of the tax then performed by the airline. Make no mistake, though, airlines do charge travelers for coverage of the taxes. Up until the end of June, the departure tax for leaving Japan was 1,000 yen (US$6.25). As of July 1, it’s been raised to 3,000 yen.

To be fair, 2,000 yen isn’t exactly a make-or-break-level additional expense when it comes to planning a trip overseas. However,** the 3,000-yen departure tax is a per-person fee**, so if you’re thinking about coming to Japan with your spouse, kids, or other family members or friends whose expenses you’re covering, the difference under the new tax system could quickly add up to an additional 10,000 yen or more (note, though, that if your tickets were issued prior to July 1, you’ll still only be charged the 1,000-yen rate, even if your Japan-departure date is after July 1).

Nevertheless,** the Japanese government has said that increasing the departure tax is a necessity, and that the extra revenue will go to programs and initiatives designed to combat overtourism**, such as attempts to disperse inbound foreign travelers to less-visited parts of Japan and relieve congestion at the country’s most famous tourist attractions. However, as we discussed when the first rumblings were heard about a possible price increase, the departure tax isn’t paid only by foreign tourists on their way back to their home countries. Everyone who’s flying (or sailing) out of Japan has to pay the departure tax, including Japanese residents and even Japanese citizens. The only exceptions for the tax are travelers in transit who will be in Japan for less than 24 hours and children under 2 years old.

▼ Wake up, Haruto. We’re taking that trip NOW!

At a time when prices for everything are going up in Japan, asking the local population to pay a higher departure tax in order to compensate for countermeasures to inbound tourism seems both illogical and unfair, especially when vague regional tourism promotional initiatives often involve using tax revenue to help drum up business for private companies, whose increased profits won’t be of any benefit to locals paying the higher departure taxes.