Mizuho Bank's computer system was still on the fritz Thursday, temporarily halting almost all transactions conducted via automated teller machines and online for a third consecutive day, the core unit of Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said.
Mizuho Bank President Satoru Nishibori said at a news conference the problem could delay opening times at its 440 branches Friday as well.
The problems were alleviated shortly after 11:30 a.m., except for transactions involving foreign-currency deposits, but resurfaced just before 6 p.m., the bank said.
While a bank official said the malfunction "appears to have nothing to do" with the mega-quake, the problem added to the list of perceived quake-linked disruptions.
The bank said it could not boot up the computer system at 9 a.m., leaving only balance inquiries available. Withdrawals were handled at the counters.
"I offer my sincere apologies for this serious trouble," Nishibori said Thursday afternoon.
The bank's widespread disruptions began Tuesday, delaying the processing of some 440,000 remittance transactions worth a combined ¥570 billion.
