Japan duty-free shopping debate fueled by $1.5bn in suspected resale fraud

Travel & Leisure

Retailers push back against calls to end system, while Finance Ministry readies curbs

Duty-free purchases accounted for nearly half of sales at Matsuya’s Ginza location in fiscal 2024. (Photo by Hazumu Urushiyama)

TAIZO WADA

October 1, 2025 02:28 JST

TOKYO — During a recent visit to the Matsuya department store in Tokyo’s ritzy Ginza district, the duty-free counter was bustling with foreign tourists presenting their passports for the consumption tax exemption on their purchases.