Japan: 1% consumption tax on food, the ruling side proposes debate from 20 October

Un nouveau dispositif d’aide en espèces selon les revenus est aussi prévu pour l’exercice 2027.

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

Le gouvernement a adopté le projet le 9 octobre.

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

La mesure vaudrait deux ans à partir d’avril 2027 ; ce serait la première baisse du taux depuis l’introduction de cette taxe.

The conditional expresses possibility, supposition, unconfirmed information and polite requests (“would”, “might”). It uses the same stem as the future and the same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient): pouvoir → il pourrait. In the news it is used to avoid asserting, as in “is reported to…” or “there is a possibility…”.

Le financement, d’environ 10 000 milliards de yens sur deux ans, n’est pas détaillé à ce stade.

The passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).

Vérifiez les dernières informations pour savoir si le calendrier est désormais fixé.

The imperative expresses commands, requests and advice. It has no subject: the sentence starts with the verb (Consultez les informations.). The vous form ends in -ez, nous in -ons (Restons prudents.), and tu in -e for -er verbs (Consulte). It is very common in notices and warnings (Vérifiez, Consultez, Restez informé).

Le financement, d’environ 10 000 milliards de yens sur deux ans, n’est pas détaillé à ce stade.

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

Selon le Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, le gouvernement japonais a approuvé le 9 octobre un projet de loi ramenant de 8 % à 1 % le taux de la taxe sur la consommation applicable aux aliments et boissons.

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

Un nouveau dispositif d’aide en espèces selon les revenus est aussi prévu pour l’exercice 2027.

Prévoir means “to plan, to expect”. Être prévu means “to be scheduled” and être envisagé means “to be under consideration”. In the news, read them separately from expressions that describe events that have already happened. They do not say that the event has already taken place.

L’opposition a demandé du temps pour répondre.

This is the purpose, “in order to…”. Put the base form of a verb after pour. The purpose stated here is separate from whether the effect was actually achieved.

熊本日日新聞によると、政府は9日、飲食料品の消費税率を8％から1％に下げる関連法案を閣議決定しました。

As in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.

2年間で約10兆円に上る財源の具体化は先送りされました。

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

野党は持ち帰り、協議が続くと報じられています。

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.

2027年4月から2年間に限る内容で、消費税の導入後に税率を下げるのは初めてです。

The て-form links actions in a series, in order or as a reason. In “確認して、出発する” the relation is judged from the content. In “〜ている” it can show an action in progress or a continuing state.

財源の具体化は先送りで、野党は対象や財源を追及する構えです。

A explains noun B that follows. It is not only possession: the relation can be belonging, target, content and more. In “政府の案” and “年金の税控除”, read the relation from the context.

政府は9日に閣議決定。

は shows what the sentence is about; an explanation of that topic follows. は and が are not always interchangeable: contrast and the way information is placed change.