TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday the government should stick with its plan to raise the sales tax to 10 percent next year to maintain trust in the government debt market.
Aso told reporters that when the government compiles the next fiscal year's budget in December, it will take appropriate measures to make sure it can carry out the sales tax hike next year.
In April the government raised the sales tax to 8 percent from 5 percent to pay for welfare and healthcare spending. Some ruling party lawmakers argue that the government should delay next year's tax hike because the economy is not strong enough.
(Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Chris Gallagher)