In anticipation of the upcoming House of Councillors election, set to be held by July, political parties in Japan are beginning to unveil – or at least hint at – their campaign promises. The platforms increasingly converge on a common theme: a consumption tax cut.

For instance, leaders of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Nippon Ishin) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have both announced that they will advocate for groceries to receive a several year exemption from the consumption tax. Both the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP) have publicly proposed an across-the-board 5 percent consumption tax cut for all products, which is the same policy prescription they laid out last year’s lower house election.

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