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August 11, 2026
 

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FURUSATO NOZEI

A building damaged by the earthquake in the town of Hikawa, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 28
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2026
Donations to quake-hit Kumamoto via hometown tax system reach ?730 million
The figure represents the total amount of donations made through four major furusato n¨­zei portal websites, according to the top government spokesperson.
Parent-child groups cook dishes using milk offered as a return gift for the hometown tax donation program during an event held in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Hometown donations program to refocus on local community ties
Following a revision to the?furusato n¨­zei?system, the internal affairs ministry wants to move away from the ¡°good deals¡± offered through generous return gifts.
Internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi noted Tuesday that fees paid by local governments to intermediary operators as part of the <i>furusato n§à?zei</i> hometown tax donation program have reached a high level. The ministry plans to urge such portal site operators to lower their commission fees as part of plans to increase the amount of donated funds made available to local governments.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2026
Commission fees for furusato n¨­zei portal sites exceed 10% of donated funds
The ministry plans to urge such portal site operators to lower their fees, as part of plans to increase the amount of donated funds made available to local governments.
Under the current furusato n§à?zei hometown donation system, the amount of donations to local governments minus ?2,000 is deducted from the donor's income and residential taxes.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan eyes cap on deductions for furusato n§à?zei donations
Since the system is seen as favorable for higher-income earners, lawmakers of the ruling bloc have called for a review to bring the system back in line with its original purpose.
The city of Izumisano, in Osaka Prefecture, has successfully challenged a decision by the central government to cut special tax grants based on its revenues under the <i>furusato n¨­zei</i> (hometown tax donation) system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 10, 2025
Government cuts to Izumisano¡¯s tax grants illegal, Osaka High Court rules
The city in Osaka Prefecture raised about ?49.8 billion in donations in fiscal 2018, the most among the local governments under the hometown tax donation program.
The city of Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, used a crowdfunding-style hometown donation program to help fund fireworks during the Matsue Suigosai festival held in August.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Sep 29, 2025
Crowdfunding-style hometown donations gain traction in Japan
Such initiatives set clear fundraising targets and deadlines to solicit contributions to address specific local challenges.
The internal affairs ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. The ministry has barred four municipalities from taking part in Japan's <i>furusato n¨­zei</i> hometown donation program for two years due to their excessive spending on the program.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
Four municipalities to be banned from hometown tax program after overspending
The municipalities affected are Soja in Okayama Prefecture, Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture, Miyaki in Saga Prefecture and Yamato in Kumamoto Prefecture.
A booth from the town of Betsukai in Hokkaido at an Amazon Japan furusato n§à?zei promotion event, on Sept. 5 in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 12, 2025
People rush to make furusato nozei donations ahead of tighter rules
Website operators are holding events and campaigns to lure customers before the government bans them from giving reward points to donors, effective next month.
People buy groceries from a mobile supermarket in a rural area of Nagomi, Kumamoto Prefecture. The government is considering a new "hometown resident" registration system to help strengthen regional revitalization measures.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2025
Japan eyes two types of ¡®hometown resident¡¯ registration
The system is included in the government¡¯s basic vision for regional revitalization, adopted in June.
A revamped 3D diorama of the Chiran airfield and its surroundings is displayed at the Chiran Peace Museum in Minamikyushu, Kagoshima Prefecture, on July 31.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2025
Hometown donations program used to help preserve wartime memories in Japan
Initiatives are under way in some regions to keep the tragic history of World War II?from fading by using digital technology to renovate exhibition facilities.
A fireworks display in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, on Aug. 4 last year. The show has been one of the return gifts for hometown tax donations to the city.
JAPAN
Aug 1, 2025
Furusato n§à?zei hometown tax donations hit record ?1.3 trillion in 2024
Of Â鶹´«Ã½ 47 prefectures, only Fukuoka, Saga and Kagoshima received lower donations than in fiscal 2023.
The city government of Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, used corporate donations to create a volunteer tour, during which participants help farmers harvest apples and enjoy sightseeing in the city.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 20, 2025
Corporate hometown donations gain traction in Japan
Some local governments have been found to provide de facto rewards to donor companies, violating the system¡¯s rules and raising concerns about improper practices.
Jasper Cheung, head of Amazon Japan (second from the left), which will enter the "furusato nozei" hometown donation intermediary business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 19, 2024
Amazon Japan to enter ¡®furusato n¨­zei¡¯ business
Amazon aims to differentiate its service from other sites by delivering gifts as quickly as one day after donations are made.
An event to support Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate prefectures is held in Sendai in March, with booths offering local specialties.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Sep 30, 2024
Nearly 40% of Fukushima municipalities want hometown tax system revised
Some want the central government to implement measures to establish a system that narrows disparities among municipalities.
Tokyo's Shibuya Ward offers a ticket to Shibuya Sky, an open-air observation deck at the rooftop of a high-rise building in Shibuya, as a return gift for those who made furusato nozei donations to the ward.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 2, 2024
¡®Furusato nozei¡¯ donations topped ?1 trillion for first time in 2023
The city of Miyakonojo in Miyazaki Prefecture received the largest amount of donations, at ?19.3 billion.
People who made hometown tax donations to the city of Narita in Chiba Prefecture take part in a tour on Sunday at Narita Airport in the city, which was offered as a return gift.
JAPAN
Jul 26, 2024
Â鶹´«Ã½ hometown tax donations top ?1 trillion for first time
The number of people who received residence tax breaks through the system is also believed to have hit a record 10 million.
Japan's tradition of offering investors gifts is nice. But with the stock market at record highs, such perks are no longer needed.
COMMENTARY
Jul 18, 2024
It¡¯s time Â鶹´«Ã½ shareholders buy their own wine
The practice by Japanese companies of giving gifts once served as a good way to encourage trading novices to dabble in the stock market.
Internal affairs minister Takeaki Matsumoto
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2024
Point websites to be barred from Â鶹´«Ã½ hometown tax donation system
Donations collected via the sites will no longer be tax deductible under the hometown tax system.
Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward has offered a stationmaster experience at Shinjuku Station as a return gift for donations of ?1 million to the ward.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024
Tokyo offers ¡®experience packages¡¯ as gifts to curb tax outflow
As their tax revenues continue to decline, Tokyo wards have begun diversifying their gift offerings under the hometown tax program.
A woman makes a donation for people affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake set up at Shinjuku's Keio Department Store's in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024
?17 billion raised for quake-hit Ishikawa
A committee made up of?members of related organizations will decide how to allocate the funds, which will be distributed via local municipalities.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital&#039;s largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn&#039;t just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it&#039;s an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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