Japan Press Weekly

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2012 December 12 - 18 [ECONOMY]

Disaster-hit small businesses can carryover gov’t grants to next year

Smaller businesses in the 3.11 disaster-stricken areas succeeded in getting an okay to carry over the government subsidies provided this year to the next business year, with the help of the Japanese Communist Party and democratic commerce groups.

Moreover, the complicated procedures required to apply for the subsidies in the first place will be simplified. The only process they will need to undergo will be the submission of the application form.

Many small- and medium-sized business owners are welcoming these changes which the economic and industrial ministry has recently announced.

The government provided the subsidies to the affected smaller companies in the FY2011 for recovery costs and maintenance of their facilities. However, the delay in infrastructure restoration due to ground sinking is making it difficult for the construction, fishery, and shipbuilding industries to have their repair work completed by the end of this business year.

JCP member of the House of Councilors Daimon Mikishi, local branches of the Democratic Commerce and Industry Organization (Minsho), and local traders’ and producers’ organizations demanded that the Ministry of Finance permit the recipients to carry over the subsidies into the next fiscal year. They received the favorable response that the ministry would not seek the return of the money left even if they cannot complete their work within a fixed-time limit.

Chiba Tetsumi of a local Minsho said, “Thanks to the efforts that several industrial groups and the JCP made, we can continue with the needed work for the recovery of small- and medium-sized businesses here.”