Japan to relax tax-free shopping rule for foreign visitors from July

The Japanese government will relax the rule for duty-free shopping from Sunday in its latest effort to spur spending by foreign visitors, after "explosive buying" by Chinese tourists appears to have cooled down.Under the current rule, foreign visitors have to buy at least 5,000 yen ($45) worth of consumables, such as food and cosmetics, or the same value of general items, such as clothing, to be exempted from paying the nation's 8 percent consumption tax. But some visitors have complained they are not sure if they are buying "consumable" or "general" items.Beginning in July, foreign visitor…READ FULL ARTICLE