The Finance Ministry filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors July 25 against Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank for alleged violations of the Banking Law.
Sources close to the ministry said the bank and four of its former officials were named in the complaint, which accuses the bank of submitting false information to ministry inspectors regarding the bank's loans to a "sokaiya" corporate extortionist.
It is the first time the ministry has taken such action for an alleged Banking Law violation. Among those named were former Vice President Tsuneo Uchida, the official believed responsible for covering up dubious loans the bank made to sokaiya Ryuichi Koike, during a regular ministry inspection in October 1994.