Troublesome loans at the nation's top 18 banks totaled 21.78 trillion yen as of the end of March, according to fiscal 1997 earning reports released by Monday.
The figure was calculated under a new set of standards that includes loans considered in danger of going sour. The total includes loans under bankruptcy and those in arrears for more than three months, as well as restructured loans at nine city banks, three long-term credit banks and six trust banks.
The old disclosure rules mandated that loans past due for six months be included. The new guidelines also widen the definition of loans in the restructured category. Under the former disclosure rules, the total amount of problem loans for the same period came to roughly 15.63 trillion yen.