, Columnist
Where You Eat Your Bento Box Now Matters for Japan
An increase in the consumption levy is the last thing the economy needs.
Why mess with a pillar of support for the economy?
Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japan's consumption-tax hike doesn't look like it’s going to sink the economy, as a similar increase did five years ago. That's the good news.
The bad news is that the bump, to 10% from 8%, is still happening at an inauspicious time. While a recession isn't in the cards for Japan, the last thing any major economy needs is a fiscal brake.