The Japanese government is pushing for a stronger inheritance tax to secure tax revenue, but concerns are growing over the potential infringement of citizens' inheritance rights. While the government argues that it needs to increase the burden of inheritance tax on wealthy individuals to achieve fiscal soundness, there are criticisms that the tax hike is excessive.

The Japanese government has embarked on strengthening inheritance tax as a means to reduce its national debt, which has reached 1 quadrillion yen. With Japan facing serious challenges due to its aging population, the highest life expectancy in the world, the government believes that it is inevitable to secure tax revenue through higher inheritance taxes.

The government has been strengthening integrated taxation of inheritance and gift taxes since this year, extending the period for calculating gift tax from three years to seven years. The government is also considering extending this period to a maximum of 15 years. This is part of a plan to regulate lifetime gifts that the wealthy have been using as a means to avoid inheritance tax.

Inheritance tax for siblings is also expected to increase. Under current inheritance tax law, when both parents have passed away, siblings are granted a basic exemption of half of the total inheritance. However, this exemption is expected to be reduced. The government's plan is to significantly lower the basic exemption and increase the burden of inheritance tax.

However, the government's move to strengthen inheritance tax has sparked controversy over the infringement of inheritance rights. While inheritance tax is a tax, it is ultimately property that is transferred from parents to children. Therefore, critics argue that excessive inheritance tax can infringe upon inheritance rights.

Especially with the increasing number of single-person households and childless households, which are making inheritance more difficult, there are growing concerns that the government's further tightening of inheritance tax could infringe upon citizens' property rights. The business community and some experts argue that it is more reasonable to secure tax revenue through other tax methods, such as income tax.

Meanwhile, there are also concerns about fairness in inheritance tax reform. This is because there is an analysis that if inheritance taxes become too high, inheritance will not be active. Ultimately, it is argued that the middle class, which paid lower inheritance taxes, will benefit, and the effect of increasing taxes on the wealthy will be minimal.

In Japan, controversy over inheritance tax continues, with a focus on balancing the need to secure tax revenue and protect inheritance rights. While the government insists that strengthening inheritance tax is necessary for fiscal soundness, it appears that it will need to reach a consensus with the public in determining the level of tax increases.