Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Politics & Diplomacy Oct 1, 2013
April to see sales tax hike, Abe confirms
by Reiji Yoshida and Ayako Mie
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe goes ahead with raising the consumption tax while also offering a ¥5 trillion stimulus package to offset the negative impact on consumer spending.
National Sep 21, 2013
Corporate tax cut agreement eludes
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s top economic chiefs have failed to agree on a contentious corporate tax cut amid lingering skepticism that the move will bolster the deflation-mired economy and amid pressure on business leaders to raise wages. Abe, Finance Minister Taro Aso and economic ...
Economy Sep 16, 2013
Improved economic signs support consumption tax hike: Hayashi
by Kazuaki Nagata
Given the improving economic climate, the 3-point consumption tax hike should go ahead as scheduled next April, agriculture minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a business conference Monday. Economic indexes for the April-June quarter say it is “not a red signal, not a yellow signal. ...
National Sep 14, 2013
Japan Post plans first price hikes in 20 years to offset sales tax increase
Japan Post Co. plans to raise prices for the first time in 20 years if the administration proceeds with the first stage of the consumption tax hike next April, officials said. Postage for mail weighing 25 grams or less will be raised to ¥82 ...
Economy Sep 13, 2013
Basic economic assessment raised
The economy’s performance in September was revised upward Friday for the first time in two months as the government saw companies beefing up investment on expectations for the stimulus-driven recovery to accelerate. The world’s third-biggest economy “is on the way to recovery at a ...
Economy Sep 12, 2013
Abe to raise sales tax to 8% as scheduled
Prime Minister Abe has decided to proceed with the first stage of the consumption tax hike next April and throw in more stimulus to offset its impact.
Economy Sep 5, 2013
Failure to raise sales tax 'could hurt bond prices'
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda has urged the government to stick to its plan to raise the sales tax in April, saying Japanese government bond prices could collapse if it fails to do so, official sources said Wednesday. “I do not intend to ...
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 4, 2013
Abe reportedly to announce tax hike decision Oct. 2
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won't announce his decision on whether to raise the consumption tax until Oct. 2, a government source says.
Business Sep 2, 2013
Abe gets more ammo to proceed with tax hike
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a boost Monday for pressing ahead with a planned sales-tax increase when most members of panels advising the government backed the move even as they urged stimulus to cushion the economic blow. Most of those in seven consultative panels ...
Economy Aug 26, 2013
Abe begins collecting feedback on tax hike before decision
by Ayako Mie
A government panel kicked off a seven-day discussion Monday on whether the sales tax should be hiked next April amid concerns it could derail Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s radical efforts to end decades of deflation. Abe is soliciting opinions from 60 people ranging from ...
Economy Aug 25, 2013
Tax hike debate expected to heat up
Debate on how the planned sales tax hike will affect the economy is expected to heat up when a government panel begins gathering expert opinions Monday. A Kyodo News poll said Saturday that at least 10 of the 60 panel members surveyed favor proceeding ...
Economy Aug 4, 2013
Tourism agency wants to make food, cosmetics duty-free
The Japan Tourism Agency will propose adding food and cosmetics to the list of duty-free items available to foreign visitors in its fiscal 2014 reform plan.