Credit guarantee association

A public institution established under the Credit Guarantee Association Act of 1953 to facilitate smooth fund raising for small and medium-sized enterprises. It identifies the potential creditworthiness of small and medium-sized enterprises and acts as an intermediary between small and medium-sized enterprises and financial institutions. As of 2019, there are 51 associations across the country.

Among Japanese businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises account for the overwhelming majority in terms of both the number of business establishments and the number of employees, but even if they have the potential for future growth due to their business prospects and management capabilities, they tend to have difficulty borrowing or raising funds from financial institutions due to a lack of creditworthiness and collateral.By properly evaluating the future prospects and management skills of small and medium-sized enterprises to increase their credibility, striving to facilitate financing through credit guarantees, and responding appropriately to various needs such as consultation, diagnosis, and information provision, we contribute to strengthening the management base of small and medium-sized enterprises, thereby contributing to the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises and the vibrant development of local economies.

The credit guarantee system is a unique Japanese system for facilitating financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, combining the credit guarantee system run by the association and the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Insurance System, which reinsures it. The credit guarantee system allows small and medium-sized enterprises to borrow business funds smoothly from financial institutions by utilizing either the association's mediated guarantee or the guarantee via a financial institution. Small and medium-sized enterprises pay a credit guarantee fee to apply, and borrow from financial institutions that have received the association's guarantee acceptance letter. The maximum credit guarantee limit is 80 million yen for unsecured guarantees, and 280 million yen when combined with ordinary guarantees. If a small or medium-sized enterprise fails to repay its debts, the association will repay the debts on behalf of the debtor, the small and medium-sized enterprise, at the request of the financial institution (subrogation). Under the Small and Medium Enterprise Credit Insurance System, if the association makes a subrogation payment to a financial institution, it will receive 70% (sometimes 80%) of the subrogation amount as insurance money from the insured party, the Japan Finance Corporation (formerly the Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprises). As of the end of March 2019, the balance of guaranteed liabilities was approximately 2.33 million cases, amounting to approximately 21,080.9 billion yen.

[Kunihiko Kaneko]

"Credit Guarantee, edited by Koichiro Eguchi, 3rd Edition (2005, Institute of Financial Affairs, Kinzai Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1953年（昭和28）施行の信用保証協会法に基づき中小企業の円滑な資金調達のために設立された公的機関。中小企業の潜在的信用力を発掘し、中小企業と金融機関を結び付ける仲介者の役割を果たし、2019年（令和1）時点で全国に51の協会がある。

　日本の事業者では、中小企業が事業所数でも就業労働者数でも圧倒的多数を占めるが、事業の将来性や経営能力があって将来発展する可能性をもっていても、信用力や担保力の不足のために金融機関からの借入れや資金調達に困難をきたしがちである。中小企業の将来性と経営手腕を適正に評価して企業の信用を高め、信用保証を通じて金融の円滑化に努め、相談、診断、情報提供などの多様なニーズに的確に対応することにより、中小企業の経営基盤の強化に寄与して中小企業の振興と地域経済の活力ある発展に貢献している。

　信用補完制度は、協会の行う信用保証制度とこれを再保険する中小企業信用保険制度を統括したものであり、中小企業金融円滑化のための日本独特の制度である。信用保証制度は協会斡旋(あっせん)保証か金融機関経由保証のいずれかを活用することにより、中小企業が金融機関から事業資金をスムーズに借り入れられることになる。中小企業者は信用保証料を支払って申し込み、協会の保証承諾書を受け取った金融機関から借り入れる。信用保証最高限度額は無担保保証で8000万円、普通保証と合算すると2億8000万円である。中小企業者が債務を返済しない場合、協会は金融機関の請求によって債務者の中小企業者にかわって債務を返済（代位弁済）する。中小企業信用保険制度は、協会が金融機関に代位弁済した場合、保険先の日本政策金融公庫（以前の中小企業金融公庫）から代位弁済額の70％（ときとして80％）を保険金として受け取る仕組みである。2019年（平成31）3月末時点の保証債務残高は約233万件、約21兆0809億円である。

［金子邦彦］

『江口浩一郎編『信用保証』第3版（2005・金融財政事情研究会、きんざい発売）』

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