Japan to send advisors

Japan to send advisors

TOKYO (Nikkei): The Ministry of Finance will send advisors to Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam during the current fiscal year to advise them on managing their economies, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported in its Monday morning edition, citing ministry sources.

By imparting expertise in fiscal policy and the setting up of bond markets, the ministry hopes to help the countries build a fiscal and monetary system that can avert currency crises.

The dispatch would be part of the US$30 billion so-called New Miyazawa Initiative to assist fellow Asian nations.

Beginning this week, four people from the ministry's budget bureau, tax bureau and financial bureau will travel to Thailand for a fortnight to instruct government officials there on managing public works budgets, devising policies to control government debt, and advise on inheritance and environmental taxes and other areas.

Members of the ministry's international bureau will soon begin working in Indonesia for two-year stints. In addition to assisting the government there on fiscal policy, the delegation will also offer advice on using yen loans and managing foreign debt.