A bill to establish a company that supports Japanese company’s export of infrastructure system was passed by the House of Councilors on April 11. The government will launch the company in fall upon approval by the Land Minister. More than half of its shares are to be owned permanently by the administration and the minister will be in charge of operations such as selection of projects, preparing the standards and supervising.
Transportation infrastructure and urban development in Southeast Asia are the main targets. The company will invest in selected projects as well as offer human resources that possess expertise in transport operation and management.
　 The budget amounting 109.5 billion yen has been appropriated for the company in fiscal 2014. Of the total, 58.5 billion yen will be funded to local project operators that Japanese companies participate in and the remaining 51 billion yen will be used for the government guarantees to facilitate private financing.(2014/04/14)