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July 06, 2025
 

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Taiga Uranaka
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2021
Japan’s biggest bank to bet ¥1 trillion on riskier asset push
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. expects to begin buying credit, equities and alternative assets in the second half of this year that will likely focus on U.S. securities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2021
Japanese banks’ ¥300 trillion dilemma puts focus back on riskier bets
Deposits at the nation's top three banks alone grew by u00a541 trillion in the year ending in March.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2021
Remote work drives Japanese to suburbs, boosting Resona Holdings
The mortgage lender is enjoying a surge in demand for credit from homebuyers seeking larger properties in the suburbs, where the bank has a strong presence.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 23, 2021
Retailer Rakuten beats Japanese lenders at digital banking game
New digital bank accounts with the internet conglomerate better known for its online shopping services expanded by 20% last year, and recently topped 10 million.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2021
Cash-loving Japan shifts from notes and coins in boost for banks
As banks move toward digitalization, the pandemic has added an incentive for consumers and merchants to avoid touching physical money.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 25, 2020
Junichi Hanzawa, MUFG’s next banking unit chief, targets Asia for growth
Japan's biggest bank has been aggressively expanding in Asia, where it has spent about $15 billion buying stakes in lenders in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 22, 2020
Sumitomo Mitsui on hunt for Asian lender and U.S. partner for deals
The plans underscore how the bank is looking beyond the current dip to grow abroad, with low interest rates and a graying population hampering prospects at home.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 11, 2020
Japan banks struggle to unwind last ¥4.6 trillion in cross-shareholdings
Having already divested trillions of yen under pressure from regulators and investors, megabanks are now down to a clutch of firms that are resistant to stake sales.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 11, 2020
Japanese banks to hit profit goals as stimulus curtails bad loans
Any moderation of bad-loan charges would mirror a trend seen around the world this earnings season, after banks from Singapore to the U.S. kept defaults at bay.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2020
Mizuho to become first Japanese bank to sell consumer data
The new business is being made possible by deregulation aimed at shoring up the country's struggling banking industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 24, 2020
Mizuho to shrink New York and London offices following remote work success
Contrary to other financial institutions, the mega-bank says productivity hasn't suffered while employees have been working remotely.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 10, 2020
Bank of Japan coronavirus loans may ensure ‘zombie’ firms limp on
The total lent so far is already more than four times the amount deployed from January 2009 to support firms during the global financial crisis.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2020
Grab deal just the start of MUFG's focus on technology investment, says CEO
Hironori Kamezawa, 58, say the digital shift has picked up pace in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2020
Banks with ‘shattered’ business models warned by Japan to adapt
Concerns are mounting that some banks are too weak to withstand the coronavirus-fueled recession and may eventually need to be rescued or delisted.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 12, 2020
Bank of Japan’s aid to lenders hasn't warmed them to negative rates
For the country's commercial banks, the BOJ's sub-zero rates strategy aimed at stimulating the economy and prices has eroded their profit margins.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 11, 2020
Mizuho to deploy billions in riskier funding to help Japan's firms with virus fallout
The bank is in talks with corporate clients to provide financing via subordinated loans and purchases of preferred shares totaling more than u00a5100 billion.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 8, 2020
Analysts see pandemic accelerating pace of mergers in Japan
Transactions here and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific will pick up before the U.S. and Europe do, experts say.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 27, 2020
Bailouts and delistings loom for Japan’s beleaguered regional banks
Coronavirus crisis expected to cause bad loans to climb and investment income to evaporate
BUSINESS / Markets
Feb 10, 2020
Japanese asset manager awaits flood of money from regional banks
Japanese financial conglomerate SBI Holdings Inc. anticipates a flood of money from yield-starved regional banks that need help reinvesting cash after redeeming government bonds.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 27, 2020
Japanese banks' fortress mentality puts them on trailing edge of fintech revolution
Japan's effort to nudge its more than 100 struggling regional lenders into the digital age is floundering.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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