Japan ministers disagree of sales tax offset package

Finance Minister Taro Aso (above) and Economics Minister Akira Amari, who are tasked with crafting a package to ensure the tax hike does not derail the escape from deflation, have been at loggerheads.

TOKYO: Japan's top two financial ministers openly disagreed on whether a corporate tax cut was needed to cushion any pain from an increase in the sales tax, as the government upgraded its view of the economy on Friday for the seventh time this year.

The two-stage doubling of the sales tax, seen as a test of the government's resolve to start fixing its tattered finances, looks set to go ahead, with debate now focused on what support measures Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should also introduce.