Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party announced in January 2026 that, based on the FY2026 (Reiwa 8) budget approved by the Cabinet on December 26 last year, the government will significantly raise three major fees related to foreigners to secure funding for measures addressing issues involving foreign nationals. The specific changes are as follows: The International Tourist Tax will be raised from 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen per departure, to be used to combat overtourism and congestion at airports and other facilities; the visa (single-entry) fee will be raised from 3,000 yen to 15,000 yen, to strengthen the operation of overseas consulates and the diplomatic implementation system; and the fee for changing or renewing the status of residence for foreign nationals will be raised from 6,000 yen to 40,000 yen — an increase of more than fivefold — to strengthen appropriate immigration control and measures against illegal overstayers. Adjusted concurrently is the passport application fee for Japanese nationals: it will be significantly reduced from 16,000 yen to 9,000 yen, with revenue from the International Tourist Tax covering the costs of protecting Japanese citizens abroad.
The background to this adjustment is two major pressures on Japanese society in recent years: one is the problem of “overtourism” caused by the surge in inbound tourists, and the other is the security risks arising from the increase in illegal overstayers. The FY2026 budget increases spending on measures for foreign nationals by 132 billion yen compared to the previous fiscal year — the largest annual increase on record — clearly conveying the ruling party’s policy orientation of strengthening control over foreign nationals. The cost for Chinese tourists visiting Japan and for Chinese residents in Japan renewing their status of residence will rise significantly, with the visa fee (excluding service fees charged by embassies or agencies) increasing by four times.