Japan finmin Aso: sales tax hike impact gradually easing on economy
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday that the impact of April's sales tax hike on the economy is gradually easing but it needs close monitoring from now on.
Aso was speaking to reporters after the government released a batch of soft economic indicators including industrial output and household spending.
The national sales tax rise to 8 percent from 5 percent on April 1 hit private consumption, pushing the economy into its worst slump in the second quarter since the March 2011 disaster.
(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chris Gallagher)