Bankruptcies fall but danger ahead

Bankruptcies in Japan fell about 5 per cent in the last business year, according to independent research firm Teikoku Databank, as a mild economic recovery and banks' reluctance to cut off ailing firms helped limit failures.

Easing cash flow for small firms

Small businesses in Japan are having severe cash-flow difficulties, even though the Bank of Japan (BoJ) is pumping plenty of money into the banking system. This is because debt-burdened banks are following restrictive lending practices.

Japanese discover novel ways of raising capital for SMEs

The Osaka prefectural government has turned to Lehman Brothers and Daiwa Bank in a novel securitisation deal, as it attempts to stimulate economic growth in the region by offering about Y30bn (Ђ238m) in loans to small and medium-sized companies.

Government plans credit safety net for SMEs

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans one trillion yen (8.2 billion US dollars) in safety net measures for small and mid-sized companies expected to be hit by plans to accelerate banks' disposal of bad loans, Japan's Kyodo New