Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who a few days ago was indicating that he was leaning towards a consumption tax increase this autumn, now is promising he will do his utmost to avoid raising the tax.

When asked about the consumption tax, Abe replied: “At this point, we still don’t have exact numbers on how large the revenue deficit is, so I can’t answer that question. But we will do our utmost to not raise it”, and re-stated that the governments stance is to cover the deficit through a natural increase in tax revenue, brought about by economical growth, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.

The consumption tax rate is an extremely sensitive topic in Japan, and Abe came under fire when he indicated his willingness to raise it. This, in addition to a string of party scandals and government bungling of social insurance account management, has led to a plunge in the support rate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and in Abe’s administration. . . all just a scant few weeks before an Upper House election scheduled for July 29.