KOBE (Kyodo) -- The western Japan city that hosts Himeji Castle proposed to the local assembly on Friday that it double or triple the World Heritage site's admission fees for nonresidents in 2026, scrapping the mayor's earlier plan to set much higher prices for foreign tourists.

The local government of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, will submit a bill in March to raise the adult ticket price from the current 1,000 yen ($6.70) to between 2,000 yen and 3,000 yen while making admission for those aged under 18, currently at 300 yen, free from around the spring of 2026.

The local government also plans to introduce digital tickets with designated times and dates on a trial basis from April to October when the World Expo will be held in the neighboring prefecture of Osaka.

In June, Himeji Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto said he was contemplating quadrupling the castle's entry fees for foreign visitors to help cover maintenance costs.

Some municipal assembly members have expressed concern at the idea, including the possibility it might give foreign tourists a negative impression.

Around 1.48 million people visited the castle in fiscal 2023, and 452,300 were overseas visitors, topping 400,000 for the first time since data became available in fiscal 1992, according to the city government.