The controversy over increasing the consumption tax won't be unfamiliar to those who follow modern Japanese politics, as earlier proposals have proven unpopular with voters throughout the postwar years and have even doomed previous administrations.
But for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the tax issue has served as a very useful tool that has repeatedly helped saved his political life.
On Monday, the prime minister announced his intention to dissolve the Lower House and call a snap election for Oct. 22, saying he will seek a public mandate on how to spend the expected revenue increase from the planned 2019 consumption tax hike, which will rise from 8 percent to 10 percent.