Japan will make overseas travel more expensive from July 2026 as it plans to triple its departure tax for everyone leaving the country by air or sea. The levy will rise from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per person, a move aimed at managing over-tourism and increasing revenue linked to travel.
The higher charge will apply to all travellers aged two and above, regardless of nationality, when they leave Japan for an international destination. The departure tax, officially known as the International Tourist Tax, is added directly to airline and ferry tickets. Aircraft crew and passengers in transit who leave Japan within 24 hours remain exempt.
Japan introduced the departure tax on January 7, 2019. Since then, it has become a steady source of revenue linked to tourism. The article states that Japan collected a record ¥52.48 billion in departure tax revenue in the year ended March 2025, reflecting the sharp rise in visitor numbers.
More travel fees planned The government plans to use the additional revenue from the higher tax to deal with issues linked to overcrowding, congestion and behaviour at popular tourist sites. It also expects tourism-related revenue for the 2026 fiscal year, from April 2026 to March 2027, to increase nearly 2.7 times to about ¥130 billion.
Japanese citizens will also pay the higher departure tax when travelling abroad. To reduce the impact on residents, the government is considering using part of the extra revenue to lower passport issuance fees for Japanese nationals.
The article also notes that Japan plans to introduce additional travel-related fees in the coming years. By 2028, the country is expected to roll out the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, or JESTA, for travellers from visa-free countries. Fees for this pre-screening system are expected to range between ¥2,000 and ¥3,000 per person.
If introduced as planned, the combined cost of the departure tax and JESTA could take total travel charges to around ¥5,000 to ¥6,000 per traveller. Visa issuance fees for travellers who require entry permits, including visitors from China and parts of Southeast Asia, may also increase by up to five times, while short-term visa-exempt visitors will not be affected.
AloJapan.com