Japan to collect 'sayonara' departure tax starting 2019
Passengers in an Asiana Airlines flight depart Incheon International Airport and head to Osaka. Tourists leaving Japan on flights or ships will be charged a departure tax starting January 2019. / Korea Times file
By Ko Dong-hwan
All travelers leaving Japan will have to pay a departure tax from next year to help boost tourism for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The measure, effective from January, will charge foreigners and Japanese aged two or older 1,000 yen ($9). The tax will be included in air and ship fares.
The Japanese House of Councilors' plenary session approved the new tax on April 11. It is the second time the Japanese government has levied a national tax for an indefinite period since 1992.
The government plans to draw 40 million international tourists from now until the Olympics. Some 28.69 million people visited Japan in 2017.
The tax is expected to collect 6 billion yen in the 2018 fiscal year (to March 2019) and an annual 40 billion yen in the 2019 fiscal year.
The money will support Japan's promotional efforts overseas, provide funds for local authorities to introduce tourism-friendly policies and improve travel infrastructure.
But the levy also raised fears that it will reduce tourist numbers, especially among budget travelers.
South Korea introduced a similar tax for domestic travelers in 1997 and revised the law to extend it to foreign tourists in 2004. It charges 10,000 won ($9) for travelers on flights and 1,000 won for those on ships.
Some advanced countries including the United States, France, Germany, Australia and Canada already introduced the policy.