Japan's Hagiuda: Should assess a range of data before deciding to raise sales tax

Koichi Hagiuda is the deputy chief Cabinet secretary and a close aide of Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe

• Says that Japan should assess a range of data, including the 'Tankan' data, before deciding to raise the sales tax in October
• Says that any decision to delay the sales tax increase will not not necessarily require a snap election in the lower house of parliament

For some context, the BOJ's 'Tankan' report in Q1 was largely disappointing and doesn't really inspire confidence about the Japanese economy. The report for Q2 will be due on 1 July so keep your eyes peeled for that.

It looks like some doubts are starting to creep into the government's resolve to raise the sales tax in October and that will be a big tell on how confident lawmakers and policymakers feel about economic conditions in the country.