Hokkaido to introduce lodging tax of up to 500 yen a night from 2026

The government of Hokkaido, a northern island popular with tourists, will introduce a lodging tax of up to 500 yen ($3) per night from April 2026, joining a growing number of prefectures and municipalities around Japan using such revenues to improve infrastructure and transportation amid a tourism boom.With around 20 local governments in Hokkaido, including the prefectural capital Sapporo, preparing to implement their own accommodation taxes, lodgers at hotels and inns will face double taxation.According to an ordinance adopted by the Hokkaido assembly in December, visitors to the island wi…READ FULL ARTICLE