Taxpayers began filing 2005 income tax returns Thursday at 524 regional tax offices across the country.
At the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau in Otemachi, actress Yukie Nakama, who appears on a promotional poster for the National Tax Agency, filed her return via the agency's Web site.
"I hope the government will use taxpayer money effectively for the public," she said.
The self-employed, doctors, lawyers and farmers must file their tax returns, along with salaried workers who earn more than 20 million yen a year. People who earned more than 200,000 yen in extra income over the past year must do the same.
People who have spent 100,000 yen or more for medical expenses last year and those who have purchased houses with the help of bank loans are eligible for tax refunds.
Tax returns must be filed by March 15. In urban areas, 227 tax offices will provide consultation and accept the tax return forms Sundays, Feb. 19 and 26.
Last year, about 21.6 million people filed tax returns.
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