Japan: Tax-Free Shopping for Visitors Switches to Refund Method From November 1
New rules from Japan's National Tax Agency took full effect on November 1: foreign visitors shopping at tax-free stores must now pay the tax-inclusive price at checkout, and receive a refund equivalent to the consumption tax only after customs confirms at departure that the purchases are being taken out of Japan and the store receives that confirmation. There is no transition period; all transactions from November 1 fall under the new refund method.
Eligible purchases must be taken out of Japan with customs confirmation completed within 90 days of purchase, and purchases of 5,000 yen or more before tax per store per day generally qualify. The reform aims to prevent abuse of the tax-free system and ensure qualifying purchases are actually exported by eligible visitors.
Major airports including Narita, Haneda, Kansai, Chubu Centrair, Fukuoka, New Chitose and Naha have designated departure areas for the procedure, and visitors can also use Visit Japan Web for the initial steps. Official data show foreign visitors spent 2.2076 trillion yen in Japan from July to September 2026, up 3.2 percent from a year earlier.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：东京羽田机场国际航站楼出发大厅（资料图），Daniel L. Lu 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权 / Photo: Departure lobby of Haneda Airport's international terminal in Tokyo (file photo), by Daniel L. Lu, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
