Japan's Osaka Prefecture is considering charging "entry fees" to foreign tourists staying in the prefecture, Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters on Wednesday. The Japanese metropolitan city will open MGM Osaka, a casino resort, in 2030.
Yoshimura (file photo) said concerns about "overtourism" were the reason for the Osaka Prefecture admission fee proposal amid an overall recovery in travel after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japan Times reported on Thursday.
The committee, called the panel of experts, will finalize the proposed entry costs for foreigners in April, he noted.
The goal is to introduce such charges in time for the Osaka-Kansai Japan Expo, which begins in April 2025, Yoshimura added.
Referring to the ministry's guidelines, the news outlet said local governments do not currently have tax programs specifically targeting foreigners in Japan and such plans require approval from the ministry's minister.
Osaka is the only one in Japan so far granted the right to host a casino resort, with the MGM Osaka project now set to launch in 2030, with an initial cost of 1.27 trillion yen (currently $8.58 billion).
The Japan Times reported that Osaka currently imposes a 100-300 yen accommodation tax on domestic and foreign guests who stay more than 7,000 yen per night.
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