Top Shot – People take photos with Mt. Fuji at Lake Yamanaka in the snow in Yamanakako Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, December 5, 2025 (Photo: Yuichi YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Yuichi Yamazaki | AFP | Getty Images
Travelers who need a visa to enter Japan will pay up to five times the price from July 1, after Tokyo raised visa fees for the first time since 1978, citing rising costs from the tourism boom and currency fluctuations.
The application fee for a single-entry visa will increase from 3,000 yen to 15,000 yen ($93), and for a multiple-entry visa from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
Japan said it was increasing visa fees “in response to current price increases and exchange rate fluctuations.”
The Japanese yen has hovered near multi-decade lows in recent months despite government intervention aimed at supporting the currency.
Experts told CNBC that the increase is because Japan is experiencing a surge in tourists, putting a significant strain on infrastructure and public services.
“Given the prolonged depreciation of the Japanese yen in recent years, it may no longer be financially sustainable to maintain the pricing structure set in a variety of economic conditions,” said Jhilmiya Kamble, senior lecturer in hospitality and tourism management at James Cook University.
Mr Kumble said the increase did not appear to be directly aimed at curbing overtourism.
“Although visa fee increases are unlikely to be a direct measure to curb overtourism, they may go some way to offsetting some of the administrative and operational costs associated with managing growing numbers of visitors,” she added.
Japan welcomed record numbers of tourists in 2024 and 2025, reaching 36.8 million and 42.6 million, respectively. According to Mastercard, the tourism sector contributes significantly to the country’s GDP.
Fujiyoshida City – April 8: Tourists take photos in front of cherry blossoms in full bloom with Mt. Fuji in the background at Arakurayama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture (photo taken on April 8, 2026). During the cherry blossom season, Fujiyoshida City canceled its annual festival at Arakurayama Sengen Park this year due to the impact of excessive tourism on the local living environment, but the festival continues to be held in the neighboring town of Fujikawaguchiko. (Photo provided by Tomohiro Osumi/Getty Images)
Tomohiro Osumi | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reportedly said that the increase in visa fees is unlikely to affect domestic tourism.
Along with this, the departure tax for all travelers will also be raised from the current 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen. According to Hiroki Masushima, chief economist and partner at Deloitte Tohmatsu Group, this change reflects an increase in the proportion of foreign tourists departing from Japan.
Foreign tourists now account for 74% of departures from Japan, up from about 20-30% before the implementation of Abenomics in 2013, Masushima said, referring to economic programs under the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that encouraged a weaker yen and encouraged inbound tourism.
Since tourists are eligible for consumption tax refunds, Japan will need to offset some of the associated costs, which could be done in part by increasing visa fees and exit taxes, he added.
But Masushima said the tax increase was unlikely to deter tourists, noting that many tourists were returnees and underscoring Japan’s enduring appeal as a destination.
A tourist checks his mobile phone outside a duty free shop in Tokyo on June 23, 2026.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
political aspects
In the “Japan Brand Survey 2025” conducted by Dentsu, 52.7% of the 12,400 respondents said they “want to visit Japan again,” placing Japan in first place out of the 20 markets surveyed.
The company analyzed that “More than the impact of the weak yen, the appeal of Japanese food and products is driving up the number of visitors, showing that Japan’s popularity as a travel destination is not just a passing fad.”
Masushima said strong tourism demand gives policymakers more room to raise prices without causing a significant drop in visitor numbers.
The policy may also have a domestic political dimension, said Jesper Cole, a specialist director at Tokyo-based financial services firm Monex Group.
“After the clear ‘open door’ policy for skilled immigration adopted by Prime Minister Abe, his chosen successor (Prime Minister Sanae) is responding to growing public concerns about overtourism and over-immigration,” Coll told CNBC.
In May, Japan’s House of Councilors passed a bill that would raise the upper limit for permanent residence applications from the current 10,000 yen to 300,000 yen. The upper limit on the fee for changing status of residence will also be raised from 10,000 yen to 100,000 yen.
There are two reasons for increasing these fees, Coll explained. This is to cover the increasing administrative costs of managing immigration effectively and to attract higher quality human capital.
