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July 03, 2026
 

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TAXES

Japanese politicians are debating ways to cut the consumption tax on food bought outside of restaurants.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 28, 2026
Food consumption tax cut plans have parties crunching the numbers
Reducing the rate to 0% from 8% is popular with politicians but expensive.
An election campaign event on the first day of campaigning for the February 8 snap election, in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2026
Japan kicks off campaigning for Feb. 8 Lower House election
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said she would resign if the ruling coalition fails to win a majority, is facing off against a transformed opposition.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance, participate in a debate with other party leaders on an internet program on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 25, 2026
Takaichi plays down concerns over feasibility of two-year consumption tax cut
The issue is expected to take center stage in the Feb. 8 Lower House election, as reining in rising prices remains a top priority in the minds of voters.
Yuichiro Tamaki (right), head of the Democratic Party for the People, during a news conference in the parliamentary building on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2026
DPP vows to boost take-home pay in election pledges
While listing measures to alleviate the financial burdens on taxpayers, the opposition party also pledged not to raise taxes for the time being.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s plan to cut the consumption tax on food to zero sent Japanese bonds into a meltdown, jarring global debt markets.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 22, 2026
Takaichi’s bad tax plan isn’t worth this freak-out
Temporary tax cuts have a habit of becoming sticky. What government will be strong enough in two years to let it expire, and hit consumers with an 8% increase at the checkout?
Japan’s 40-year bond yield has reached 4%, the highest since its 2007 debut and the first time any Japanese government bond has hit this level in over 30 years.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 20, 2026
Japan’s 40-year yield hits 4% as Takaichi’s tax plan sinks bonds
Investors have been dumping Japanese bonds amid speculation Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s party will win more seats in a Feb. 8 vote, giving her a freer hand to boost stimulus.
A supermarket in Tokyo in March 2023
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
Takaichi reportedly considers suspending sales tax on food in election pledge
The government and Takaichi’s Liberal ‍Democratic Party will carefully assess the impact on markets before deciding.
Wealth taxes are difficult to implement, risk reducing growth and capital and cannot solve the structural fiscal challenges facing aging societies and overpromising governments.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2026
Wealth taxes don’t work no matter where they’re imposed
Rich people, like all humans, respond to incentives — and there just aren’t enough rich people to pay for everything.
An electronic display board shows the daily movement of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 10, 2026
Set your children up for financial success with the new NISA
Details are not yet final, but plans for the new take on the tax-advantaged investment account indicate a contribution limit of ¥600,000 per year and ¥6 million in total.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike speaks during an interview on Monday at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2026
Tokyo governor negative on addressing tax revenue gaps
The central government’s policy of addressing tax revenue gaps between the capital and other local governments would “obstruct the growth of Tokyo,” Gov. Yuriko Koike said.
Reika Kuroki, who goes by Reika Miyazaki as a social media influencer, has some 500,000 followers on Instagram.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 26, 2025
Japanese social media influencer charged with tax evasion
Reika Kuroki, also known as Reika Miyazaki, as well as two other individuals are accused of evading corporate and other taxes amounting to ¥157 million.
Japan's economic growth is expected to accelerate to ‌1.3% in fiscal 2026 as robust consumption and capital expenditure offset soft overseas demand.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 25, 2025
Japan expects growth to accelerate next year with fiscal stimulus
The projections are the first ​to be compiled under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration, which ‍has ⁠announced big spending plans.
Itsunori Onodera (center right), the chief of the Liberal Democratic Party’s tax committee, and Japan Innovation Party counterpart Satoshi Umemura (center left) hold up the two party's tax reform proposal in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2025
Tax reform proposal lifts income tax threshold and reroutes funding to defense
The ruling coalition’s proposal includes using a levy once used to fund reconstruction work in the Tohoku region to now fund defense spending.
The government and ruling coalition are considering a ¥6 million cap on tax-free holdings for a new investment program for minors under the revamped NISA framework, sources say.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2025
NISA program for minors to have ¥6 million tax-exemption cap
The cap will be introduced to address potential disparities that could arise when the assets are eventually withdrawn.
Liberal Democratic Party tax chief Itsunori Onodera speaks during a meeting of the party’s tax research panel last month.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2025
LDP discussing 2027 income tax hike to fund defense spending
The tax-increase plan was included in the fiscal 2023 tax system reform outline, but the start date has not yet been set.
The government and ruling parties are considering reallocating a portion of local corporate and fixed-asset taxes from Tokyo to other local governments.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2025
Government and ruling bloc seek to lessen tax revenue gap among regions
They are considering reallocating part of local corporate and fixed-asset taxes from Tokyo to other local governments.
Visitors head to Shirakawago, a popular tourist spot, in Gifu Prefecture in November.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 4, 2025
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
Policymakers are looking at tighter restrictions on real estate purchases, higher visa-related fees and better Japanese language education, among other things.
Under the current furusato nо̄zei hometown donation system, the amount of donations to local governments minus ¥2,000 is deducted from the donor's income and residential taxes.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan eyes cap on deductions for furusato nо̄zei donations
Since the system is seen as favorable for higher-income earners, lawmakers of the ruling bloc have called for a review to bring the system back in line with its original purpose.
A campaign poster for a Labour Party candidate in Burnley, England, in June 2024. Britain’s property tax system is unfair and outdated, and a proportional national levy could improve fairness, mobility and long-term economic growth.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2025
The U.K.’s property taxes are an irrational mess
There was no justification for a system that imposed a higher tax burden on a terraced house in Burnley, a deprived town in the northwest, than on a fancy mansion in London.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama (fourth from left) delivers a greeting at the first ministerial meeting on Tuesday at the Prime Minister's Office to review tax measures, subsidies and funds, in an effort inspired by the U.S. "department of government efficiency."
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2025
Japan holds first meeting on DOGE-inspired waste cut
The government has established a department of about 30 people in the Cabinet Secretariat to find and eliminate wasteful spending in a DOGE-inspired style.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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