The Cabinet on Monday approved a draft for a 52.78 trillion yen fiscal investment and loan program for fiscal 1999, up 5.7 percent from the current year.
Finance Ministry officials said the increased "zaito" funding reflects the government's resolve to solve the nation's economic problems quickly.
The zaito program has two facets, general outlays and investment funds for financial markets. The general outlays go to government-affiliated firms and local governments, who then use the money to offer loans and make investments. The investment funds portion uses postal deposits and public insurance funds.