Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa said Friday the capital gains tax should be significantly reduced -- although not to zero, because that would cause problems for the tax system.
Speaking at a news conference, Shiokawa also said he is ready to support the idea of increasing public funds at the state-run Deposit Insurance Corp. so they can be used for a new entity to be established to bail out insolvent debtors.
On the capital gains tax, he said, "Reducing it to zero would cause problems in various aspects. But I think the tax rate should be cut in a major way."