Japan raises visa fees fivefold to tackle overtourism

The Japanese government raised visa fees immediately for overseas travelers entering the country, while cutting passport application fees on Wednesday, as it looks to deal with a sharp rise in overseas visitor numbers and overtourism, Report informs via Nikkei Asia.

Fees for single-entry visas, increased from 3,000 yen ($18) to 15,000 yen, and for multiple-entry visas, from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.

This is the first tariff increase since 1978, caused by record inflation and sharp fluctuations in the yen, which has hit multi-year lows in recent months.