Japan Wobbles on Tax Hikes to Pay for Historic Defense Build-Up
- In interview, senior official says tax hikes may be delayed
- Trump may increase pressure on Japan over defense spending
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Japan may again postpone a decision on hoisting taxes to help cover rising defense spending, a senior ruling coalition official said, raising more questions about how Tokyo intends to pay for a historic expansion of its military capabilities.
“It would be wonderful if we could make a decision this year, but if we can’t it doesn’t mean that we will stop increasing defense spending and boosting our defense capabilities,” Mitsunari Okamoto, the policy chief of Komeito, the coalition partner of Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party, said in an interview with Bloomberg.