Kishida Defends Japan Sales Tax From Opponents’ Calls for Cut
- New prime minister backs the policy ahead of Oct. 31 election
- Opposition leader Edano favors lowering rate from current 10%
Yukio Edano, left, Fumio Kishida, and Natsuo Yamaguchi, during a debate ahead of a general election in Tokyo, on Oct. 18.
Photographer: Issei Kato/Reuters/Bloomberg
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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stood by plans to keep Japan’s sales tax at its current rate as opposition groups called for a cut, backing a policy they believe would build support in an election less than two weeks away.
Kishida argued at a debate among party leaders Monday that maintaining the current tax at its 10% rate was needed to fund social security. He also reiterated his stance that government bonds should be used for emergency funding to help the world’s third-largest economy recover from the Covid pandemic.