Two different stories have played out in Japan at very distinct paces over recent months.
First, a long-running debate over the amount workers must earn before paying tax. Such policy anywhere can be a snoozefest — and nowhere more so than in Japan. Embattled Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, needing the support of an opposition party that made raising the tax-free threshold its signature policy, has endured months of back-and-forth debate.
The passing of the budget this week put us out of our misery. A major holdup was the concern over a supposed ¥7 trillion to ¥8 trillion gap ($47 billion to $54 billion) in government coffers that would result from the change. As this debate rumbled, the unstoppable surge of tourists continued, hitting a record 3.7 million in January. Local discontent at the sheer volume of sightseers is growing, too.
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