The central government still plans to raise the national sales tax again in 21 months, even as the economy struggles to gain momentum following the recession caused by a hike in the levy last year.
"Unless something really unusual like a large economic shock happens, if things are in a normal state, we'll definitely raise the sales tax," Economy Minister Akira Amari said in an interview in Tokyo on Thursday. "It'd be best for the government to raise the sales tax after declaring an end of deflation."
Amari's comments underscore the pressure on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to consolidate the country's finances as its debt burden swells.