Abe gets heat at home over delaying of sales tax hike

Tokyo

HAVING secured what he perceives to be a mandate from fellow leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced nations to delay further a planned hike in Japan's consumption tax, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has found himself on the horns of a domestic dilemma - whether or not to postpone the move.

Key members of his own governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and leaders of parliamentary opposition groups are pushing him to "go to the country", that is, call a general election, before reneging on his former pledge to raise the tax from April 1 next year.