from yesterday's Nikkei

金融機関　郵貯マネーで資本増強　ゆうちょ銀が劣後ローン　第一生命に５００億円

According to sources, on Saturday Japan Post Bank Company,Limited entered into final negotiations with The Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Company in the direction that Japan Post Bank will provide The Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance with 50 billion yen spacial loan which has higher interest rate than usual but whose repayment priority sequence is relatively low.This is aimed at strengtheing The Dai-Ichi's capital footing.And the deal will be finalized within March.This is the first case that Japan Post helps a financial insitution enhance its capital base.

from today's Nikkei

企業、資金調達急ぐ　社債発行2月最高の1兆5000億円超　金利上乗せ・個人向け増加　年度末控え手元厚く

An increasing number of large companies like The Bank of Mitsubishi-Tokyo UFJ,ltd. and Toyota Motor Corporation have recently been issuing corporate bonds. Aggregate amount of corporate bonds issued in February this year has come to be more than 1.5 trillion yen and has logged the highest-ever record for a monthly corporate bond issuance for the first time in almost 11 years.Amid the fear about the financial market going on,there are movements among many companies that they place the priority on raising their funds even though they add an additional interst rate on national bond interset rates serving as an usual satandard rate.Another characteristic in the movement is that funds are collected mainly from individual investors, not from institutional investors.This phenomenum is related to the condition that demand for fund is increasing in most companies with the end of this fiscal year approaching.