The government will allow private-sector companies to run advertisements in its printed publications, including posters, brochures and white papers, to create a new financial resource for the nation's coffers, sources said Tuesday.

For this fiscal year, the government hopes to raise about 20 million yen by inviting private-sector ads on 2 million copies of printed publications from 13 government agencies, including the Cabinet Office and the Finance Ministry, the sources said.

The government started considering last year whether it is appropriate to allow certain companies to place ads in government publications from the aspect of its public nature and also in terms of fairness.

The government recently decided to set up specialized committees to screen advertisements at every government agency and to add a note on its publications that running a corporate ad does not mean the government endorses the company, the sources said.

In addition, government agencies will compile guidelines for the advertisements, they said.

The idea was included in a government plan to promote administrative efficiency that was revised June 30.

For fiscal 2005, the Finance Ministry has begun procedures to issue posters to solicit individual buyers of government bonds on which financial institutions will run ads.