Just as Japan braces itself for a hike in the sales tax to 10% on Oct. 1, one of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s would-be rivals is calling for it to be abolished altogether.
Taro Yamamoto, a former actor turned leader of an upstart party that won two seats in the country’s July upper house election, says the increase from the current 8% will put a chill on consumption, despite the government’s efforts to alleviate such concerns.
