Japan says sales tax will rise as scheduled in October

WASHINGTON: Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso pledged to global finance leaders that Tokyo will forge ahead with a scheduled sales tax hike in October, even as weakening global growth darkened the outlook for the export-reliant economy.

There is simmering speculation Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may put off the twice-postponed increase in the sales tax, as he faces an upper house election later this year amid increasing signs of weakness in the economy.