WAS the decision to raise a key tax this year a big mistake? For years, the political consensus has been that Japan’s consumption (ie, value-added) tax needs to go up in order to control a ballooning public debt. In April the government of Shinzo Abe carried out a decision made by the previous government and lifted the tax from 5% to 8%. That is still low by developed-country standards, but it seems to have inflicted more pain than most predicted. Reports from Tokyo’s brothel districts to the country’s rural regions suggest the move has hurt an already limp recovery.
