The government unveiled a package of measures Wednesday designed to fend off a credit crunch that small and medium-size firms are suffering due to higher oil prices and a housing slump.
The measures are meant to make it easier for smaller firms to secure necessary funds toward the March 31 end of the current fiscal year.
They include increasing the maximum amount of guarantor-free loans from the current ¥20 million to ¥48 million that a company can get from the government-affiliated National Life Finance Corp.