Japan To Double Duty-Free Shops To 10,000

Above, shoppers and a duty-free store at the departure terminal of Narita Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan's government has acted to double the number of duty-free shops throughout the country in their effort to increase the number of foreign tourists before the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

According to Kyodo News:

Japan decided Tuesday to double the number of duty-free shops nationwide to around 10,000 in line with the government's efforts to increase foreign visitors by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

The strategy to expand duty-free shops, most of which are located in major cities, is part of the country's revised action plan containing a set of measures aimed at boosting the annual number of foreign tourists to 20 million. 

"Japan has many products and attractions to offer to tourists in various parts of the country," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at his office during a ministerial meeting on tourism promotion where the revised action plan was finalized. 

The government hopes that shops in the countryside will be encouraged to apply for relevant permission to sell duty-free items, after its rule limiting the duty-free items to electrical appliances and fashion goods is abolished in October, officials said.

This means that all items, including food, alcohol and cosmetics, will now be sold duty-free.

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