TOKYO — The Japanese government expanded Wednesday its list of duty-free items for foreign visitors to include foods, alcohol, drugs and cosmetics on top of electronic goods, clothing and bags already exempt from the consumption tax.
The items have already proved popular as souvenirs among tourists, and the increase in the variety exempt from the 8% tax, timed to coincide with China's National Day weeklong holiday, is expected by local retailers to help boost their sales particularly among an increasing number of Chinese visitors.
Spurred by rising income and the weaker yen, the number of Chinese visitors to Japan is expected to surge to a record near 2 million in 2014, having reached 1.54 million from January to August, up 84% from a year earlier and already more than the annual record of 1.42 million marked in 2012, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.