A bill on a conditional moratorium on loan repayments by small businesses is likely to become law next week as a House of Councillors committee gave it a nod Friday, paving the way for its approval and enactment at the upper house's plenary session Monday.

To access full stories on Kyodo News English website, it is necessary to subscribe. Please contact Kyodo's International Department in Tokyo via e-mail at kokusai@kyodonews.jp or call 03-6252-8301. If you are outside Japan, please contact Kyodo News International in New York at kni@kyodonews.com or call +1-212-508-5440. Currently we offer subscriptions to only corporate clients such as newspapers, magazines, trade publications, research institutes, government and international organizations.