In reaching the agreement to raise the consumption tax, the opposition Liberal Democratic Party insisted that the main squeeze on the budget deficit – the amount spent on social-security benefits for Japan’s retirees – begin to be addressed. But the agreement actually does nothing to fix that problem.
在同意提高消费税的时候，反对派的自由民主党坚持要着手解决造成预算赤字的罪魁祸首——日本退休人员的社会保障和福利开支。但这份协议实际无助于解决这一问题。