On November 6 the National Tax Agency added a notice to its consumption tax reduced-rate information site stating that videos on the rate cut, aimed at businesses and at consumers, had been posted. An online course was announced on November 4. The rate cut on transfers of food and drink runs for two years, from April 1, 2027 (Reiwa 9) to March 31, 2029 (Reiwa 11), and the official materials needed to prepare are steadily being put in place.The National Tax Agency, the government office for taxes, posted videos on November 6 explaining the lower consumption tax on food: one for shop owners and one for shoppers. On November 4 it also announced an online course. The tax goes down for two years, from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2029. Shops need to get their registers and invoices ready before that first day.
How the materials were added, and the period of the measure
September 15, 2026Information site opens, with leaflet, pamphlet, Q&A and videos
October 6, 2026Detailed version on the rate cut posted
October 9, 2026Draft explanatory materials on applying the system posted
November 4, 2026Start of an online course announced
November 6, 2026Videos for businesses and for consumers posted
April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2029Two years in which the rate on transfers of food and drink is reduced
What a shop should do
1. Look at the materialsWatch the videos and read the leaflet and Q&A on the tax agency site
2. Check what is coveredWork out which of the goods you sell are covered
3. Fix the machinesDecide who will change the tax rate settings on registers and invoices, and when
4. Be ready for April 1Make sure you can sell at the new rate from April 1, 2027
On November 6 the Ministry of Finance submitted a paper, Review of the application period of temporary tariff rates, to the Customs Subcommittee of the Council on Customs, Tariff, Foreign Exchange and Other Transactions. It states that a decision is needed on 404 tariff lines whose temporary rates expire on March 31, 2027, and asks whether, for lines where the temporary character and the basis for the rate level are durable, the period might be set at several years rather than the single year used until now. This is a paper at the discussion stage and nothing has been decided.When you buy goods abroad and bring them into Japan, a tax called a tariff applies. Tariffs come in two kinds: a general rate used over the long term, and a temporary rate that replaces it for a set period. On November 6 the Ministry of Finance put a paper to a council meeting on what to do with 404 lines whose temporary rates run out on March 31, 2027. At present they are renewed a year at a time, and the talks included setting them for several years instead. Nothing has been decided.
Read more →Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)Labor law & HRJuly 1 to 7, 2027 (Reiwa 9); June is the preparation month
On November 6 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced a call for slogans for the 100th National Safety Week, to be held in fiscal 2027. National Safety Week runs from July 1 to 7, with June as the preparation month. Entries are accepted from November 6 until January 6, with postmarks of that date accepted, and anyone may enter. Entries may be submitted through an online form or by posting an entry sheet.To build workplaces free of injuries and accidents, July 1 to 7 each year is set aside as National Safety Week. In 2027 it will be held for the 100th time. From November 6 the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare began inviting slogans for the week. The closing date is January 6, and anyone may enter: people who work at a company, and people still at school.
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