Japan’s “goodbye tax” has been significantly increased. First introduced in 2019 at 1,000 yen (about $9 at the time), the departure fee charged to international travelers departing by air or sea will increase to 3,000 yen from July 1. The tax would be tripled in yen, but due to Japan’s weaker currency, the new fee now costs the equivalent of about $18, or about twice what American travelers paid when the tax was first introduced.
Although the cost of traveling to Japan is slightly higher, it is the traveler who ultimately benefits from the tax in the long run. The government plans to use the proceeds to expand and strengthen the country’s tourism infrastructure.
Funds raised will support public works maintenance, critical airport infrastructure such as enhanced facial recognition at gates and ports to speed up the passport management process, restoration of historic assets, and the creation of online tourism resources.
According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, this additional revenue will also help address the problem of overtourism in some of the country’s most popular destinations, where record tourism levels have caused concern among local residents. We want to help travelers leave the main cities of Tokyo and Kyoto and discover the rest of the country by promoting lesser-visited regions and making them easily accessible by train.
All foreign travelers are taxed, but there are some exceptions. Children under the age of 2, people leaving Japan by air or boat within 24 hours of arrival, and people entering Japan due to bad weather or other unavoidable circumstances will not be taxed.
Japan is not the only country that collects a tourist departure tax. Australia imposes a $70 (US$50) “passenger transfer fee” on all airfares departing from the country, with passengers paying $28 to fly out of Anguilla and $36 by boat, plus an additional $30 to depart from Cambodia.
This article was originally published in 2019 and updated by Shayla Martin on June 3, 2026 to include current information.