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Japan's new tax refund system from November 1, 2026
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Tax refund fees by store, from 1 November 2026

Under the new system the refund can be smaller than the tax you paid: a refund company may deduct a fee, and the law leaves it to each shop whether you or the shop pays it. Don Quijote says it charges no fee; Takashimaya, Isetan Mitsukoshi and Hankyu deduct one but have not published the rate. Checked on 29 October 2026, and updated as shops publish more.

By Mikako Yoshida ·Published 29 October 2026

Tax refund fees by store, from 1 November 2026
Ginza, Tokyo · Photo: Basile Morin (CC BY-SA 4.0)

What each shop has announced

ShopFee taken from the refundRefund companySource
Don QuijoteNone; only cash at the airport has a feeNot namedOfficial, 5 October 2026
Yodobashi CameraNot statedGlobal Blue; cash on the spot at 11 storesOfficial
Bic CameraReported as free (Bic pays); not on Bic’s own siteReported: J-TaxRefundMedia only
Yamada DenkiNot statedOcean Tax Refund (web, WeChat, LINE)Official
Tsuruha DrugReported as paid by the shopReported: J-TaxRefundMedia only
TakashimayaA system handling fee; rate not publishedNot namedOfficial
Isetan MitsukoshiA processing fee; rate not publishedNot namedOfficial
Hankyu HanshinGlobal Blue system fee; the old 1.55% changes on 1 NovemberGlobal BlueOfficial
Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Cocokara Fine, Sundrug, UNIQLO, GU, MUJI, Daimaru Matsuzakaya, Kintetsu, Seibu Sogo, outlet malls, AEONNot published yet–Official sites checked
Don Quijote at Shinjuku East Exit, Tokyo
Don Quijote at Shinjuku East Exit, Tokyo · Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan (CC BY 2.0)

How the fees work

Japan’s Tourism Agency says the rules do not decide whether the traveller or the shop pays the refund company’s fee, and the government itself charges nothing. The same purchase can therefore come back in full at one shop and with a deduction at another.

Before you pay, ask at the tax-free counter which refund company the shop uses and what is deducted. Cash at the airport can cost extra: it is the only fee Don Quijote mentions.

JPrefund, one of the refund companies, gives 0.1–0.5% of the refund as a guide to its remittance fee. Yodobashi Camera pays cash on the spot at 11 stores if you register a credit card; the refund still depends on the customs check when you leave.

Coupons still offered

Some shops still publish visitor coupons: Hankyu 5%, Daimaru Matsuzakaya 5% on ¥3,000 or more including tax, and Kintetsu Abeno Harukas 5% on ¥2,000 or more before tax. Don Quijote lists tax-free coupons on its tax-free page.

Useful before you fly

eSIM for Japan, installed before you leave home

Airalo Saily Yesim

JR Pass and Shinkansen tickets

Klook KKday

Airport transfer when you have a lot of shopping bags

Klook Trip.com Welcome Pickups

Luggage storage in Tokyo for the hours before an evening flight

Radical Storage

Hotels in Japan

Klook Trip.com

Coupons

This page is updated

Shops are still announcing their rules. We check the shops above again after 1 November 2026 and add any rate they publish.

Isetan department store, Shinjuku
Isetan department store, Shinjuku · Photo: Lombroso (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Questions

Do I get the full 10% back?
Only if neither the refund company nor the shop takes a fee. The department stores that have announced their rules deduct one; Don Quijote says it does not, except for cash at the airport.
Is the old 1.55% fee still used?
Some department store pages still show 1.55% for the old system. Hankyu says its rate changes from 1 November 2026, and no department store has published a new rate yet.
Can I get the refund in cash?
Yodobashi Camera pays cash on the spot at 11 stores. Elsewhere refunds usually go to a card or e-wallet, and cash at the airport may cost a fee.

Read this next

Don Quijote tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026Tax-free shopping at Don Quijote (Donki) from 1 November 2026: no refund fee except airport cash, the 5% and 7% visitor coupon, passport and card rules.Department store tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026Takashimaya, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Hankyu, Daimaru and others from 1 November 2026: the same-day counter, refund fees, 5% visitor discounts and what each store says.Bic Camera tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026Tax-free shopping at Bic Camera from 1 November 2026: the reported free refund, the J-TaxRefund system, the visitor coupon and the big stores to visit.Japan tax refund apps and websites: J-TaxRefund, JPrefund and the restJ-TaxRefund has no app and no login page to bookmark: scan the QR code on your receipt, and the site opens in English, Chinese or Korean. JPrefund, Global Blue, PIE VAT and Ocean compared.

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