Japan PM hopeful Ishiba sees ‘room’ for corporate tax hike, reports Kyodo via Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) – Shigeru Ishiba, a former Japanese defense minister and a prominent candidate in the ruling party’s leadership race, indicated there is potential for increasing corporate taxes. According to his remarks in an election-related webcast, Ishiba stated, "There are still firms that can bear the tax burden. I would like them to bear it a little more."

Another leading figure in the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership contest, Shinjiro Koizumi, a former environment minister, expressed plans to implement a carbon tax. He warned that failure to adopt such a tax could result in taxes on trade with Europe, where the tax is becoming a reality.

Sanae Takaichi, the minister overseeing economic security and also a candidate for LDP leadership, voiced her opposition to tax hikes for the next few years. She asserted, "We should not raise taxes at all until we see a move towards a price stability target, where demand exceeds supply."

Japan’s LDP, which holds a majority in parliament, is set to elect a new leader on September 27, with the victor taking over from outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.