Abe's move to hold snap general elections Dec. 14 originated in his decision to raise the national sales tax from 5 to 8 percent in April. The hike was meant to appease skeptics of Abenomics in the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan by reaffirming the administration's commitment to tackling Japan's budget deficit and reducing the national debt. However, it sent consumer spending plummeting in the second half of the year and plunged Japan's economy into recession. This outcome ultimately forced Abe to abandon plans for a second sales tax hike, which would have raised rates from 8 percent to 10 percent. Essentially, the fallout from the April sales tax hike exposed the fragile nature of gains made under the first attempt of Abenomics in 2013 and early 2014. Abenomics and Beyond Abenomics 1.0 made notable headway in temporarily combating Japan's deflation.