金融支援１．６兆円　中小向け貸し付け創設―新型コロナ緊急対策第２弾

　政府は１０日、新型コロナウイルス感染症対策本部（本部長・安倍晋三首相）の会合を首相官邸で開き、緊急対応策の第２弾を取りまとめた。中小・零細企業向けの特別貸付制度の創設など総額１兆６０００億円規模の金融措置を明記。学校休校に伴う新たな助成金など今年度の予備費を含む４３００億円超の財政措置も盛り込んだ。
　首相は会合で「（感染）流行の早期収束を目指すとともに、雇用の維持と事業の継続を当面最優先に全力を挙げて取り組まなければならない」と強調した。予備費２７００億円の活用は持ち回り閣議で決めた。
　特別貸付制度は５０００億円規模。フリーランスや個人事業主には実質無利子で融資し、中小企業の売上高が急減した場合も同じ扱いとする。雇用調整助成金の特例の対象を全事業主に拡大。観光業では、感染収束までの期間を反転攻勢に向けた「助走期間」と位置付け、キャッシュレス化や多言語化、バリアフリー化を支援する。（2020/03/10-22:05）

The Japanese government on Tuesday compiled its second batch of emergency measures to cope with the new coronavirus outbreak that features some 1.6 trillion yen in financial measures through state-backed lenders, including a special loan program for small firms and microenterprises.
   The package, adopted at a meeting of the government's headquarters in response to the viral outbreak, also includes the use of over 430 billion yen in government funds, including 270 billion yen fiscal 2019 reserve funds, for such steps as new subsidies related to emergency school closures.
   "In addition to aiming for the early end of the outbreak, we must make utmost efforts by giving top priority to maintaining employment and business operations for the time being," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the meeting.
   Some 500 billion yen is set to be earmarked for the special lending program, which will provide effectively interest-free loans to self-employed people and freelance workers, as well as small companies facing steep drops in sales. Meanwhile, all business owners will become eligible for employment adjustment subsidies.
   For the tourism industry, the government will designate the period until the end of the outbreak as a "run-up period" for reversing the decline in business, supporting companies in adopting cashless payment systems and multilingual services, and making facilities barrier-free.