Group 1 - The Japanese government is considering abolishing a 70-year-old tax exemption for foreign tourists to increase fiscal revenue without raising domestic taxes [1][2] - The current tax exemption allows foreign tourists to avoid a 10% consumption tax on purchases over 5,000 yen, with a daily limit of 500,000 yen for consumables [1] - In 2024, international tourists are expected to spend over 8.1 trillion yen in Japan, with approximately 2.4 trillion yen allocated for shopping [1] Group 2 - The proposal to abolish the tax exemption has raised concerns about its potential negative impact on the tourism and retail sectors [2] - The Japan Duty-Free Shop Association has indicated that the shopping tourism sector is deeply integrated into the Japanese economy, and removing the tax exemption could harm national finances [2] - In 2023, department stores saw an 86% increase in revenue from tax-exempt sales, totaling over 640 billion yen, which accounted for about 11% of their overall sales [2]