The Finance Ministry said March 18 that it will conduct a hearing on banks to determine the extent to which they have eased their stringent stance on lending.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said earlier in the day that he will instruct the Finance and International Trade and Industry ministries to look into the so-called credit crunch that has stricken many of the nation's smaller businesses.
A Finance Ministry officially acknowledged that Hashimoto's request had been conveyed to the ministry, saying that it will start preparations for such hearings as quickly as possible.