1999 may prove to have been a pivotal year for small businesses.
Scores of small and medium-size enterprises collapsed amid the prolonged recession, but the severity of the situation attracted public attention to their plight, leading the government to map out a legal framework to help revitalize such firms.
Now smaller companies must seize this opportunity to regain their health and transform themselves into the powerhouse of the economy, Kosaku Inaba, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said in a recent interview.