Apparently testing the waters before backing a possible consumption tax hike, the new top executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party soft-pedaled the sensitive topic in separate interviews Thursday.
In its policy platform put forward for the House of Councilors election in July, the LDP promised to hold comprehensive discussions on tax reform starting this fall, with an eye to overhauling the tax system by the end of fiscal 2007, which ends in March.
But during an interview on Thursday, LDP Secretary General Bunmei Ibuki ruled out any decision on the matter in the immediate future.