Finance Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday he will support Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's expected decision to delay the increase in the consumption tax, backpedaling from earlier criticism that doing so would renege on an election pledge the Liberal Democratic Party made in 2014.
He also said he will accept Abe's decision not to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election to run concurrently with the Upper House race in July.
Aso is one of Abe's longtime allies. The two reportedly met for three hours at a Tokyo hotel Monday night, where they agreed to delay the consumption tax hike. The rate, currently 8 percent, was scheduled to rise by 2 points in April.