The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday officially pledged to cut the consumption tax on daily necessities by fiscal 2017 in a bid to ease the impact of another hike planned for April that year.
The party also promised that it would not delay the consumption tax hike to 10 percent from 8 percent again, after announcing last week a delay to April 2017.
The measures are included in a package of pledges comprising the party's election campaign platform in the upcoming Lower House election.