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July 24, 2026
 

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Taiga Uranaka
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ?115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2026
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm¡¯s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ?115.16 billion.
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 8, 2026
Japanese payment processor¡¯s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin, an Osaka-based credit card payment processor, filed for bankruptcy on Monday.
"I want to achieve the goal we set 20 years ago to become one of the world¡¯s top five banks,¡± Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group CEO Junichi Hanzawa said in his first interview since taking the helm.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 7, 2026
MUFG¡¯s new CEO rekindles ambition to claim spot among world¡¯s top five banks
The goal reflects growing confidence within Japan¡¯s biggest banks, which are forecasting another year of record profits as rates rise and loan demand picks up.
Kenji Miyoshi, CEO of Iyogin Holdings, says investment opportunities have arrived for Japanese government bonds.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 15, 2026
Japan¡¯s top bond-trading regional bank buys JGBs after decade break
Iyogin Holdings started testing the $7 trillion market in April with small purchases of superlong bonds, according to its CEO.
Mizuho Financial Group¡¯s CEO Masahiro Kihara said on Wednesday that he expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates in June or July, though any modest hike is unlikely to have a major market impact.
BUSINESS
May 27, 2026
Mizuho CEO floats idea of first outsized BOJ hike since 1990
Masahiro Kihara says whether the BOJ raises rates in June or July is unlikely to have a big impact on the market unless the increase is large.
Nippon Life Insurance, Japan¡¯s largest life insurer, wrote down ?70 billion ($440 million) in the year ended March 31.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
Nippon Life books its first impairment loss in current bond rout
Nippon Life Insurance, Japan¡¯s largest life insurer, wrote down ?70 billion ($440 million) in the year ended March 31.
Tatsufumi Shibata, senior official at the Financial Services Agency, says Japanese firms should spend more of their cash on long-term business investment instead of rewarding shareholders.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 25, 2026
Japan regulator urges firms to use cash for growth, not returns
Shifting more of the country¡¯s wealth held by businesses and households to fund expansion is a key pillar of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s economic revitalization effort.
Outstanding loans across all Japanese banks increased by 5.4% year-on-year in April, while deposits grew only 1.9%, prompting major banks to work to meet clients¡¯ needs through various funding measures.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2026
Japan banks face challenge of loan growth outpacing deposits
For decades, deflation kept loan demand tepid and prompted savers to hoard cash. Now the country is seeing an explosion of borrowing, and deposits aren¡¯t keeping up.
Aichi Financial Group President Yukinori Ito (left) and San ju San Financial Group President Gotaro Michihiro announce a plan to merge the two banks at a joint news conference in Nagoya on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 14, 2026
Japan¡¯s regional bank M&A wave to create ?11.6 trillion lender
Aichi Financial Group and San ju San Financial Group have acknowledged that a shrinking population drove their plans to consolidate.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2026
Japan finance minister to discuss Mythos threat with banks
Satsuki Katayama plans to meet officials from the country¡¯s biggest financial institutions to discuss Anthropic¡¯s latest AI model as early as this week.
Masakazu Osawa, chief executive officer of MUFG Bank, at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on April 17
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 22, 2026
MUFG Bank seeks more acquisitions after $4.3 billion India deal
Nonbank financial companies are potential targets, MUFG banking unit CEO Masakazu Osawa said, without ruling out further forays.
Fukuoka Financial Group has hired 10 people in the past year and plans to recruit another 20 in the period ending March 2028, said Akira Kudo, the company¡¯s head of market operations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2026
Japan¡¯s largest regional bank takes on big names in hiring spree
Fukuoka Financial Group wants to boost its front office staff to around 100 by March 2028 as it looks to expand its ?5.8 trillion investment portfolio.
Nippon Life Insurance's Tokyo headquarters
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2026
SMFG and Nippon Life discuss $3 billion LBO loan fund
The move would mark a milestone in Japan¡¯s credit market, where the three biggest banks have dominated lending.
MUFG has about 1,300 staff involved globally in the transaction-banking business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 2, 2026
MUFG to take on global peers for slice of $1.3 trillion transaction-banking pie
Japan¡¯s largest lender is looking to capitalize on its competitive strengths in key Asian markets as it strives to catch up with global peers.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group CEO Toru Nakashima says the banking group is seeking growth without large acquisitions.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 31, 2026
SMFG cools on acquisitions as banking giant sets new profit goal
Japan¡¯s second-largest lender is aiming for ?2 trillion in profit and a 13% return on tangible equity in three years.
Wakkanai Shinkin Bank¡¯s headquarters in Wakkanai, Hokkaido
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 25, 2026
A tiny bank runs dry of borrowers as Japan¡¯s population shrinks
Many rural banks are struggling, but for a small credit union in Hokkaido, the situation is extreme.
Yoshitsugu Toba, head of the markets division at Joyo Bank, says he expects the next Bank of Japan rate hike will happen in April, followed by 25 basis-point increases roughly every six months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 2, 2026
Short-term Japan bonds hold allure for regional bank managing ?2.6 trillion
Joyo Bank is testing the country¡¯s choppy bond market by investing in shorter-term notes to secure higher returns, while avoiding longer-dated securities.
Japanese banks, including Mizuho Financial Group, are trying to boost productivity by adopting artificial intelligence while trying to ease concerns that the technology will take away jobs.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2026
Mizuho plans to replace 5,000 clerical jobs with AI in 10 years
Japan¡¯s third-largest lender insists the move is ¡°not a headcount reduction.¡±
There have been a series of insider trading cases in Japan in recent years involving employees across the financial industry.
BUSINESS
Feb 16, 2026
Mizuho Securities reportedly faces probe for insider trading
The revelations are the latest to potentially undermine confidence in Japan¡¯s financial industry at a time when the stock market is booming.
Fumitaka Nakahama, head of global corporate and investment banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 6, 2026
MUFG eyes piece of AI boom with hiring for data center financing
Financing AI initiatives is becoming a lucrative business for banks worldwide.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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