At a meeting between Okinawa Prefecture officials and representatives of small and medium-size enterprises, Oct. 31, at the Okinawa Prefecture Office in Naha, the business leaders brought up their worry about the impending consumption tax hike and its effects.

Governor Hirokazu Nakaima chaired the meeting. The main concern is what will happen when the tax rises next April. Business organizations are anticipating most enterprises will experience a downturn in their businesses, and asked the Governor to take measures against the anticipated reduction.

Currently, many Okinawans are in the last-minute push to start building their homes before the tax rises, which is causing a boom for construction companies. On the other hand, the companies fear that once the tax goes up, the demand will drastically fall.

Yutaka Nakamoto, the vice president of the Okinawa Management Association demanded, “We need to take measures to stop this from happening. We ask Okinawa Governor to ask the central government to create a strategy to avoid this from happening,”

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