Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., the lender that has made about $13 billion in acquisitions overseas since its founding a decade ago, is making a pivot toward its home market.

¡°A financial institution¡¯s mother market should be its first priority,¡± Nobuyuki Hirano, president and chief executive officer of Japan¡¯s largest bank, said in an interview. ¡°We¡¯re seeing clear signs that capital investment is gaining traction.¡±

Hirano¡¯s optimism that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be able to reignite the economy after a second-quarter slump contrasts with Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, who said that he¡¯s ¡°really worried¡± about Japan¡¯s prospects. Mitsubishi UFJ has sought to protect itself from a sluggish domestic market with acquisitions from the U.S. to Thailand that have helped more than double its overseas loan balance over the past five years.