Key facts
- Don Quijote said it hopes to lift tax-free sales by eliminating handling fees on refunds to foreign visitors.
- Japan is moving its tax-free shopping for foreign visitors to a departure-based reimbursement system.
- Don Quijote gave no figure for the handling fees it plans to drop or for expected sales.
TOKYO -- Discount store chain Don Quijote said it hopes to increase tax-free sales by eliminating handling fees as Japan rolls out new tax-free shopping rules for foreign visitors. The report was published on November 2, 2026. Don Quijote did not give a figure for the fees it is dropping or for the sales it expects to add. The report did not say when the change takes effect or how the new departure-based reimbursement system works at the store level. A photograph accompanying the report showed customers in the tax-free checkout line at Don Quijote's main store in Tokyo's Shibuya district on November 2. The report gave no response from other retailers or from the government body administering the tax-free system.