### b. Subcontracting receivables preservation support program

The subcontracting receivables preservation project proactively promotes the guaranteed payment of the account-receivables for contract prices subcontractors, etc. have for their primary contractors when the payment of such receivables is guaranteed by a factoring company Note by easing the guarantee charge burden of the subcontractors, etc. and indemnifying the factoring company for the loss it may suffer upon fulfillment of the guaranteed obligations.

This program has been implemented since March 2010 and will be carried on through FY2015.

### c. Disaster-responsive construction business financial support program

The Disaster-Responsive Construction Business Financial Support Program extends financial support to smaller and medium-size construction companies for purchasing typical construction machinery to use to respond to disasters as they occur or to smaller and medium-size construction companies that have been struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake for bearing a part of interests accrued on their loans relating to the purchasing of construction machinery.

This program was implemented from March 2013 to FY2014.

### d. Construction company management strategy advisory program

The construction company management strategy advisory program is committed to providing expert advices to help resolve management tasks, such as developing new businesses, or technical tasks, such as execution management tasks, to build up the corporate structures of smaller or middle-ranking construction companies and construction-related businesses (such as surveying, construction consulting and geological surveying) as they work to develop, and maintain and manage social infrastructures and to get prepared for, and reduce the impact of, disasters in support of communities. For projects with high model property such as initiatives taken for new business development and enterprise reform for the entry into infrastructure maintenance field, as priority supports, the program provides continual support (team advice support) until the attainment of defined goals, such as formulation of a management improvement plan by a support expert team or subsidizes in part the expenditures incurred to implement those projects that could help resolve local problems by leveraging construction companies' know-how (step-up support). During FY2014, 29 instances of team advice support and 19 instances of step-up support were selected.

This program was implemented from FY2011 to FY2014.

## (5) Promoting construction-related businesses

Information about the total number of operators registered in the construction-related businesses (such as surveying, construction consulting and geological surveying) for each month is published at the end of the next month and analyses of the financial conditions by sector based on that information are released at the end of the next fiscal year. In addition, the MLIT works to encourage sound growth of the construction-related industries and make effective use of the registration system, as by holding explanatory sessions for students before attending school in collaboration with the associated bodies.