tokyo nov 26 reuters  the bank of japan said on friday it had offered payments to nearly 90 of the countrys regional lenders under a scheme designed to revitalise the industry by promoting mergers and cost cuts under the programme the boj began paying from midseptember 01 interest on deposits held at the central bank by regional lenders that reduce costs boost profits or consolidate of the roughly 100 regional banks in japan 86 of them qualified to receive the payments as well as 142 smaller credit unions the boj said in a statement the boj introduced the scheme to prod regional banks already reeling from prolonged ultralow interest rates and a dwindling population into consolidating or streamlining operations to weather worsening business conditions critics have said the programme goes beyond the realm of central banking by offering payouts to a specific industry with the aim of driving reform in the sector read more reporting by leika kihara editing by changran kim and kim coghill