The consumption tax increase next April will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people's financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the impact of the hike, experts say.

Consumption tax raise misdirected

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirms that the government will raise the sales tax from 5 to 8 percent beginning in April. But will the tax hike lead to an economic downturn

Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY

A welcome sign: Tantrums may be on the way out

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Art

Kohfukuji temple: under divine protection

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MLB

Pirates roar past Reds

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National

Welfare rolls rise to record level

JIJI

The number of households on welfare hit an all-time high of 1,588,521 in July, up 5,213 from the month before, the welfare ministry said Wednesday.

Individual recipients rose by 5,824 to 2,158,946. Households consisting of people aged 65 or over accounted for 715,072, or 45 percent, of the total.

To help reduce the number of welfare households, the ministry plans to submit a bill to amend the public assistance law during an extraordinary Diet session scheduled to start Oct. 15. The revised law would include measures to help welfare recipients find jobs.

TOKYO (3 a.m.)

News

Economy | ANALYSIS

Households to take hit from tax hike

by Tomoko Otake