Japan on Wednesday imposed a threefold increase in its international departure tax, raising the levy to ¥3,000 (US$18) per person, and simultaneously quintupled visa fees for foreign visitors — the first such increase since 1978. A single-entry visa now costs ¥15,000, up from ¥3,000, while a multiple-entry visa rose to ¥30,000. The measures, which apply to all travellers leaving by air or sea regardless of nationality, are designed to fund infrastructure and countermeasures against overtourism after Japan received a record 42.7 million foreign visitors in 2025. Japanese officials say the revenue will finance automated immigration gates, preservation of historic sites, digital tourist information services, and promotion of lesser-visited destinations to ease pressure on Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

Viewed from Tokyo, the fee hikes are part of a broader tightening of entry and residency rules under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government, which has pledged stricter screening of foreign nationals. In a parallel move, the justice ministry last year announced a “zero illegal foreign residents” plan, and new conditions for business manager visas — including a capital requirement raised from ¥5 million to ¥30 million — have left some foreign entrepreneurs facing expulsion. Nepalese and Indian restaurant owners in Tokyo’s Okubo district described the new threshold as impossible to meet, and more than 67,800 people have signed a petition calling for the rules to be suspended. To offset the departure tax burden on its own citizens, Japan also cut passport issuance fees: a 10-year adult passport now costs ¥8,900 if applied for online, down from ¥15,900.

Cape Verde introduced an even more restrictive regime the same week, suspending its visa-on-arrival programme for citizens of 96 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe. Travellers from affected states — including India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and Egypt — must now obtain a consular visa before departure, with mandatory face-to-face interviews at diplomatic missions. The government in Praia cited the need to strengthen national security and reduce irregular migration, warning that anyone arriving without a valid visa stamped in their passport could be denied entry and deported at their own expense.

In contrast, the United Arab Emirates expanded conditional entry for six new nationalities — Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa — who can now obtain a 14-day pre-approved entry permit when flying on Emirates with a confirmed return or onward ticket, provided they hold a valid residence visa from a list of mostly Western countries. At the same time, the UAE tightened rules for Indian passport holders, who will lose visa-on-arrival eligibility if they rely solely on a UK residence visa. Separately, a 30-day grace period for visitors who overstayed during earlier regional airspace disruptions expires on 9 July, after which overstay fines resume. The next milestone for affected travellers is that deadline; for Japan’s foreign business owners, the three-year grace period to meet the new capital requirement has begun.