TOKYO—It isn’t a great time to be running a hotel in Japan, since virtually all foreign tourists are barred from visiting the country. But the owner of a traditional Kobe hot-springs inn had no problem getting a loan for renovations.
It’s part of Japan’s latest freewheeling experiment in opening the monetary taps. Bank lending is rising at a record pace thanks to no-interest loans for small businesses that are backed by a public guarantee.
Using…
This post first appeared on wsj.com
