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Taiga Uranaka
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 24, 2021
Mitsubishi UFJ targets Asia unicorns with debt-finance fund
Japan's largest lender will start a u00a534 billion fund early next year after upsizing its first joint-venture fund earlier this year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 23, 2021
Sumitomo Mitsui CEO Jun Ohta still looking for more acquisition targets
The head of Japan's second-largest lender is seeking to broaden services across Asia, acquiring commercial banks and consumer-finance companies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets / FOCUS
Dec 13, 2021
As Japan's finance sector ends painful year, ex-Nomura banker vows to bring change
By taking effective control of Shinsei Bank Ltd., Yoshitaka Kitao is setting his sights on creating a banking alliance to rival the conservative old guard.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Nov 25, 2021
Japanese financier scores big win in battle for Shinsei Bank
Shinsei Bank canceled a shareholder vote on a poison pill defense against a takeover bid from Yoshitaka Kitao's SBI Holdings that was scheduled for Thursday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 24, 2021
Shinsei Bank drops poison pill defense in SBI takeover saga
A takeover fight erupted for Shinsei in September when Japan's biggest online brokerage launched a rare unsolicited tender offer to increase its stake in Shinsei.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 10, 2021
Shinsei board member says the bank needs to improve performance
Shinsei has moved to defend itself from an SBI takeover bid, saying it would introduce a strategy designed to dilute the suitor's stake.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2021
Japanese banks’ desperate hunt for yield draws more scrutiny
Regulatory officials in Japan are treading a fine line between supporting an environment where financial firms seek out higher returns, while guarding against excessive risk taking.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 17, 2021
The rationale behind SBI's targeting of Shinsei Bank
CEO Yoshitaka Kitao sees the acquisition of the bank as key to expanding his sprawling businesses.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 20, 2021
Mizuho Bank’s fifth outage draws government criticism
All 460 Mizuho Bank branches nationwide were not able to process transactions for about an hour on Friday morning due to an IT hardware failure the previous night.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 10, 2021
Cryptocurrency regulator says easing of restrictions in Japan must wait
While the FSA chief is open-minded about the potential benefits that crypto-assets possess as a quick way to send cash, in Japan they are mainly being used for speculation and investment.
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.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.