We have filed a proposal for some US$3 billion worth of machinery and Japan has agreed as long as the government is willing to guarantee (the loan).

The already ailing companies cannot afford to pay the high interest rates, ranging from 14 percent to 18 percent.

Japan has not made clear what amount it can provide since there has not been any guarantee from the government.

We will request premium import duties as well as a quota.

We were totally free to hang out anywhere and no one noticed us. We were not even worth a dot of ink on a page in the local newspaper. It was great to just go out and have a beer with no major hoopla.

But if it helps the project to be completed quicker, it's worth the cost to us.