Can Japan Raise the Sales Tax Without Tanking Growth?

While the world’s become accustomed to thinking of Japan’s economy as sickly, it’s heading into next year with a shot at racking up the longest expansion since the asset-price bubble ended in 1991.

Deflation no longer stalks the country, corporate profits keep rising, and companies are ramping up investment at the fastest pace in a decade. Even wages, which have remained stagnant for years, are finally edging higher.