Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, JAPAN

A public body the State sets up by law, as an incorporated administrative agency (独立行政法人) under its own Act and the Act on General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agencies (独立行政法人通則法), whose purpose is to lay the groundwork for livelier business activity by small and medium-sized enterprises (中小企業者) and other businesses, through advice and training, loans, investment, grants, debt guarantees, developing facilities in the regions, running mutual aid schemes and other activities (Act on the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan, Independent Administrative Agency (独立行政法人中小企業基盤整備機構法), Articles 3 and 4). Among its duties, it runs the small enterprise mutual relief scheme under the Small Enterprise Mutual Relief Projects Act and the bankruptcy prevention mutual relief scheme under the Act on Mutual Relief System for the Prevention of Bankruptcies of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (Article 15, paragraph (1), items (xvi) and (xvii) of the Organization's own Act).