Lawmakers are reluctant to reopen legislation on the sales tax rise, raising the bar for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should he seek a shallower path of increases, according to one of his advisers.
"They don't want to touch on this issue," Etsuro Honda, 58, a Shizuoka University professor and one of the brain trust members behind Abe's reflation plan, said Wednesday in Tokyo, referring to a majority of lawmakers.
"I'm fully aware that I'm in a minority" that favors a flatter trajectory for boosting the levy than the current law provides, he acknowledged.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.