SAPPORO (Bernama-Kyodo): The government of Hokkaido, Japan's northern island renowned for its popularity among tourists, will introduce a lodging tax of up to 500 yen (US$3) per night from April 2026, joining a growing number of prefectures and municipalities across Japan using such revenues to improve infrastructure and transportation amid a tourism boom.
With around 20 local governments in Hokkaido, including the prefectural capital Sapporo, preparing to implement their own accommodation taxes, lodgers at hotels and inns will face double taxation, Kyodo News Agency reported.
According to an ordinance adopted by the Hokkaido assembly in December, visitors to the island will be asked to pay 100 yen per night for a nightly room charge of less than 20,000 yen, while 200 yen will be imposed for a charge from 20,000 yen to under 50,000 yen. For a room charge per night of 50,000 yen or above, they will be required to pay 500 yen.
The imposition of a lodging tax is expected to generate around 4.5 billion yen for the Hokkaido government.
Among the municipalities in Hokkaido, Sapporo will request 200 yen per night for a room charge of less than 50,000 yen and 500 yen for fees exceeding 50,000 yen. This would mean a hotel guest with a 50,000 yen room charge would have to pay 1,000 yen in lodging tax.
In Kutchan, where the popular Niseko ski resort is located, a flat rate of 2 per cent of the room charge is collected from visitors.
Starting with Tokyo in 2002, accommodation taxes have already been introduced in Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures, as well as municipalities including Kanazawa and Kyoto. - Bernama-Kyodo
