The owner of a car repair business in northwest Tokyo has been digging into his retirement fund to keep his shop going. He's in his mid-60s, he's not making money and he knows he'll eventually have to close down.

But for now, he's managing to keep hold of his single remaining mechanic by deferring his loan repayments time after time.

The man said the garage was started by his father after the war and at one time boasted about 20 employees. He asked not to be identified, citing the risk to his reputation if customers knew the state of his business. It's just one of tens of thousands of fading small companies subsisting using easy refinancing terms that have lingered in Japan since the financial crisis.