Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday that the government will raise Japan\'s sales tax rate to 8 percent next April from the current 5 percent as planned. According to Kyodo News, Abe also revealed the government\'s intendance to introduce a fresh economic stimulus package to ease the possible negative impact on companies and households from the tax hike. The hike of the sales tax, if realized, would be the first since April 1997, when the rate was increased to 5 percent from 3 percent, the level at which the tax was introduced in April 1989.