Japan Airlines Corp., the recipient of three government bailouts since 2001, will find out soon if the rules have changed.
The Democratic Party of Japan, which takes power Sept. 16, pledged to cut what the next prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, called "wasteful" government spending. JAL, with ¥235 billion in loans from the state-owned Development Bank of Japan, likely will seek more aid after it submits a midterm business plan by Sept. 30, according to analysts.
"I think it's wrong for the government to provide money to a private company," said Hirohisa Fujii, the DPJ's leading contender to become finance minister. "The question is where you draw the line."