While last year's line-up of Japan's banks looks familiar, the underlying numbers tell a less cheerful story.
Asia-Pacific
Latest articles from Japan

Japan looks to Africa to offset stagnant domestic market
April 1, 2019Lacking both resources and a youthful population, Japan is targeting African countries' nascent markets and plentiful commodities with generous development finance and infrastructure partnerships. Adrienne Klasa reports.
Japanese savers need to embrace risk to see return
April 1, 2019Ageing populations are a challenge for countries across the developed world, none more so than Japan.
Japan’s banks set sights abroad
February 21, 2019Facing a sluggish economy, Japanese banks are looking overseas in their quest for growth, and their south-east Asian neighbours in particular have seen an influx of investment.

Will the SoftBank rollercoaster ride stay on track?
April 3, 2018Japan's SoftBank Group, fronted by Masayoshi Son, has a dizzying number of investments dotted all around the world. Where this will take the debt-laden company is the topic of much debate. Adrienne Klasa assesses the situation.

The battle to build Africa: will India and Japan usurp China?
January 2, 2018Japan and India are joining forces to boost their commercial presence in Africa and counter China’s dominance. Will they be able to compete with the continent's top trading partner – and how is Beijing reacting to the new competition? Stefania Palma reports.
Top 1000 World Banks - Japan's strength fails to translate into global gains
July 3, 2017While the domestic performance of Japan’s banks has been generally positive, the global ranking sees more of them losing ground or remaining static rather than improving on last year’s positions. Stefania Palma reports.

Fintech focus and international expansion bring boost to Japan's mega-banks
June 1, 2017The central bank’s negative interest rate regime has hit Japan’s banking sector hard. But three local mega-institutions have shown resilience, both at home – partly through fintech investments – and abroad – by aggressive international expansion. Stefania Palma reports.

Japan takes a radical approach to spark economic revival
June 1, 2017Negative inflation, stagnant wage growth and an ageing population are forcing Japanese policy-makers to take innovative and, some would say, counterproductive measures to revive the economy. Stefania Palma reports.

Japanese private equity: at a turning point?
June 1, 2017Japan's private equity market may contribute only a small percentage of the country's GDP but, amid a sluggish economic revival, there are signs it is beginning to have a greater influence, reports Stefania Palma.