MITI helps SE Asian firms

MITI helps SE Asian firms

TOKYO (Bloomberg): Japan's Ministry of International Trade and
Industry will extend low-interest loans to units of Japanese
companies operating in Southeast Asia to help revitalize the
region's economies, Daily Yomiuri reported Sunday, citing
ministry sources.

MITI Minister Kaoru Yosano will propose the plan to leaders of
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore during his trip to the region
starting today. Companies receiving loans under the program will
send a total of up to 10,000 local technical workers to Japan for
training, the paper said.

Yosano said last month the government will earmark 40 trillion
yen (US$300 billion) in loans for small businesses that face
difficulty borrowing from banks.