TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The head of Japan's junior coalition partner said Friday he does not rule out anything to support the economy, hit by rising prices and higher U.S. tariffs, with a cut in the country's consumption tax an option.

Tetsuo Saito, chief of the Komeito party who has supported cash handouts as a "stopgap" measure to ease the pain being felt by households, also said the issuance of deficit-covering government bonds could be considered to secure such emergency funding.

The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito is considering ways to support the economy, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba saying the government will deploy all possible means to address a "national crisis."

"The crisis stemming from the (U.S.) tariffs will impact the whole economy. We are considering all possible options," Saito told a press conference, indicating that cutting consumption or income tax is not ruled out.

U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of higher import tariffs has clouded the economic outlook for Japan, with the United States ranking as its top export market.

Households in Japan are also grappling with rising prices for everyday goods including rice, as wage growth is offset by inflation.

Ishiba has taken a cautious stance on reducing the 10 percent consumption tax rate to support struggling consumers, given that the revenue is used to cover ballooning social security costs.

Changing the consumption tax rate is a sensitive issue after past hikes proved unpopular. Still, the current 10 percent is about half the level of rates imposed by major European nations.

With calls growing in the ruling coalition for a reduction in the consumption tax, a plan has also emerged for the distribution of cash handouts of between 30,000 yen ($209) and 50,000 yen to help ride out the current economic headwinds.

After losing its majority in the powerful House of Representatives in a general election last October, the ruling camp needs to take heed of demands from the opposition camp.

Yuichiro Tamaki, who heads the Democratic Party for the People, asked the government on Thursday to cut the consumption tax as a temporary measure and draw up a supplementary budget for the current business year to fund inflation and tariff-relief measures.