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.