Japan to provide $15.5bn tariff help to SMEs

TOKYO, May 27 (AFP): Japan's government announced Tuesday a package worth $15.5 billion aimed at shielding small to medium-size businesses (SMEs) from the impact of US tariffs.
The package worth 2.2 trillion yen ($15.5 billion) will include help with corporate financing and easing of loan conditions at a government-backed lending institution, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi.
"We will provide full support for small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the US tariffs," Hayashi told a press conference.
Japan, a key US ally and its biggest investor, is subject to the same 10 percent baseline tariffs imposed on most nations plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminium.