Japan PM Abe says want to reach sales tax hike decision in autumn

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that he wants to decide in the autumn whether to proceed with a scheduled sales tax hike next year, while looking carefully at economic indicators.

"We have to look at various data, including the April-June GDP figures, and decide what needs to be done to clear hurdles such as beating deflation, achieving economic growth and restoring Japan's fiscal health. I'd like to reach a decision in the autumn," he said.