Lawmakers are reluctant to reopen legislation on the sales tax rise, raising the bar for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should he seek a shallower path of increases, according to one of his advisers.

¡°They don¡¯t want to touch on this issue,¡± Etsuro Honda, 58, a Shizuoka University professor and one of the brain trust members behind Abe¡¯s reflation plan, said Wednesday in Tokyo, referring to a majority of lawmakers.

¡°I¡¯m fully aware that I¡¯m in a minority¡± that favors a flatter trajectory for boosting the levy than the current law provides, he acknowledged.