Incubators Hatch Businesses

International - Contrary to what you might think, historic low interest rates and cheap real estate make this an excellent time to expand into Asia. And entrepreneurs interested in establishing or expanding their operations in Japan may be able to do so with a loan from the Japan Development Bank (JDB).

JDB has three offices in the United States--in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, DC--that identify companies interested in investing in Japan. The bank can help finance up to 50 percent of a proposed project. To qualify, a firm should be willing to open a warehouse or Japanese subsidiary or form a partnership with a Japanese company. Interested entrepreneurs should present four years of financial statements and have a solid idea of what their Japanese project will be. The Japanese government is particularly interested in high-tech and retail ventures but will discuss any viable proposal.

Contact the Los Angeles office at (213) 362-2980, the New York City office at (212) 221-0708 or the Washington, DC, office at (202) 331-8696.

Contact Sources

LCDB Enterprise Group, 2900 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY 40211, http://www.win.net/~lcbdeg

Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center, (612) 874-1148, coreyb@greeninstitute.org

This article was originally published in the December 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Incubators Hatch Businesses.