TOKYO, Aug 8 — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda clinched today an 11th hour compromise with the opposition, saving a hard-fought deal on a contentious sales tax increase in return for a pledge to hold a general election “soon”.

A final upper house vote on the tax plan had, until recently, seemed a formality after Noda reached an agreement with two main opposition parties in June and secured its smooth passage in the lower house.