By Tomoyuki Tachikawa
Contentious legislation to double the sales tax rate was enacted by parliament on Friday,
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's most cherished policy goal since taking office last September, firing a starter's gun for a general election.
Passage came at a heavy cost to Noda, however. Opposition parties look set to intensify their offensive against Noda's Cabinet, whose approval ratings are already low, as the premier has vowed to dissolve the House of Representatives "sometime soon."
Noda could be beset with forces against him not only in the opposition camp but in the ruling party, with some lawmakers of his Democratic Party of Japan trying to replace the unpopular leader ahead of a possible general election that may end the DPJ's three-year hold on power. (PNA/Kyodo)
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