Article 3Basic Principles

①In light of the fact that small and medium-sized enterprises form the foundation of the economy of Japan by carrying out distinctive business activities in diverse fields of business, providing diverse employment opportunities, and providing individuals with opportunities to carry on business while exercising their abilities, and that, in particular, through the many small and medium-sized enterprises carrying out business activities to improve their management by making use of creativity and ingenuity, they have an important mission to fulfill in maintaining and strengthening the vitality of the Japanese economy by creating new industries, increasing employment opportunities, promoting competition in the market, and promoting the revitalization of regional economies, their diverse and vigorous growth and development must be achieved, based on the principle that the voluntary efforts of independent small and medium-sized enterprises are to be fostered, by promoting their business innovation and founding, strengthening their management base, and facilitating their adaptation to changes in the economic and social environment.

②In light of the fact that, in the diverse and vigorous growth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises, small-scale enterprises have the important significance of contributing to the stability of regional economies and to the improvement of the lives of local residents and the promotion of exchange among them, by carrying out business activities that make use of regional characteristics and providing employment opportunities, and of contributing to the future development of the economy and society of Japan, by carrying out creative business activities and creating new industries, the vitality of small-scale enterprises must be exerted to the fullest extent by developing a business environment conducive to these business activities, based on the principle that the voluntary efforts of independent small-scale enterprises are to be fostered.