The average daily balance of bank lending grew for the eighth straight month in March, up 1.5 percent from the previous March after adjustment for special factors, according to a Bank of Japan report released Wednesday.
The loan balance, which stood at 391.22 trillion yen, suggests a steady rise in lending demand is following the economic upswing.
The balance, excluding loans by "shinkin" savings-and-loan banks, was adjusted for special factors -- loan securitization, exchange-rate fluctuations and the allocation of loan-loss reserves.