Finance Minister Taro Aso pledged Monday to ensure that an upcoming tax hike does not hurt the economy by causing household spending to plummet.

"We will use every policy tool at our disposal to make sure that the economy remains on a recovery track," Aso said in a speech on the first day of this year's ordinary Diet session.

He asked his fellow lawmakers for swift passage of the proposed budget for fiscal 2019, which features a ¥2 trillion stimulus package to underpin demand after the consumption tax is raised to 10 percent from 8 percent on Oct. 1.