Japan banks

How many banks are there in Japan? and financial industry trends

Japan’s banking system: Tokyo Banks, Trust Banks, Foreign Banks, Regional Banks – and The Bank of Japan

by Gerhard Fasol

Japan banks need to register with the Ministry of Finance, so we know exactly how many banks there are in Japan, and we know address and all details about each one (contact us if you need help)

One of our clients asked us, how many banks there are in Japan, when discussing possibilities for obtaining finance.

Banks in Japan need a license, therefore all Banks are registered, and details are published, there is a straight answer to this question: 198 + 1 (as of July 1, 2013).

Note that Japan’s banking sector is consolidating, especially regional banks, so there is some change over time.

How many banks in Japan? – Quick answer:

198 (as of July 1, 2013) + The Bank of Japan

How many banks in Japan? – Detailed answer:

Total number of banks in Japan = 198 (as of July 1, 2013) (not including The Bank of Japan)

Since a banking license is required, the number, names, addresses etc of all banks of Japan are easy to find.

For historic reasons the number of banks in Japan is quite large, and the Bank of Japan and the Government of Japan have mentioned recently, that they consider the number of banks too large, and consolidation of local banks is under consideration.

Bank of Japan

Not included in the listing above is the Bank of Japan.

The Bank of Japan is the central Bank of Japan, and has three main responsibilities:

  • issue bank notes (not the yen coins, the coins are minted by the Mint of Japan)
  • carry out currency and monetary control
  • act as settlement banks between all Japanese banks: “to ensure smooth settlement of funds among banks and other financial institutions, thereby contributing to the maintenance of stability of the financial system.”

Trends and consolidation

As a consequence of the Japanese banking crisis following the “crash of the bubble”, many Japanese banks were in difficulties resulting in a wave of mergers of Japan’s mega-banks – as a consequence, three top banks were created:

  • Mizuho Financial Group (blue)
  • Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) (red)
  • Mitsui Sumitomo Financial Group (green)

Regional banks are increasingly under pressure as local economies stagnate and contract, winners and losers emerge, and we expect waves of mergers among mid-sized and small-sized local banks.

Emerging new banks

With the development of fintech and online banks we see new giants emerge, examples are Rakuten Bank, and others.

Contact

    Copyright 2013-2020 (c) Eurotechnology Japan KK All Rights Reserved