Sales tax has changed in Japan! Due to a need to prepare for the Japan’s future (elderly care, pensions) – consumption tax has increased to 10 percent on October 1st, 2019 as part of new legislation.
Thankfully – it is not as straightforward as a simple 10% increase.  Some items and services are still taxed at 8%
To alleviate the impact of the increase in consumption tax, the government has implemented a two-tier system. Foods, non-alcoholic beverages, delivery foods and newspapers (subscription newspapers published twice or more a week) remain at an 8% rate.But what about if you are a tourist?
For Tourists:
Foreign visitors staying in Japan for less than 6 months are eligible for tax-free shopping when making purchases of over 5000 yen.  Many stores will be able to provide a Tax free shopping receipt verification – and you can claim this directly or at the tax free counter at the airport.

Confused about the tax increase?

We have included some useful Japanese vocabulary related to consumption taxes below!

Japanese vocabulary related to Japanese sales taxes

Written by:

Coto Academy Teachers

Coto Academy’s teaching team includes professional Japanese language teachers, Learning Development (LD) specialists, and Quality Assurance (QA) staff. Together, they bring classroom experience and expertise in curriculum development, lesson design, and quality control to support the development and review of Japanese language learning content.