5 Japan Banking Groups’ April-Dec. Net Profits Up 14 Pct

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Five major Japanese banking groups saw their combined consolidated net profits in April-December 2025 rise 14.1 pct from a year before to 4,716.9 billion yen, according to their earnings reports released by Wednesday. The profit growth reflected interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan and high demand for corporate financing. Four of the five banking groups, excluding Resona Holdings Inc., posted record net profits for the nine-month period. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.’s net profit climbed 3.7 pct to 1,813.5 billion yen, and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. saw its net profit jump 22.8 pct to 1,394.7 billion yen. Mizuho Financial Group Inc.’s net profit went up 19.2 pct to 1,019.8 billion yen, exceeding 1 trillion yen for the first time. The three megabank groups enjoyed steady growth in commission income, such as that related to mergers and acquisitions. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s net profit came to 266.6 billion yen, up 18.0 pct, and Resona’s totaled 222.1 billion yen, up 31.3 pct. For the year ending in March, only Resona revised up its net profit projection. The other four kept their forecasts unchanged, due to management uncertainties. The BOJ’s latest interest rate hike, conducted in December, is expected to increase Mitsubishi UFJ’s profits by around 25 billion yen and Mitsui Sumitomo’s by 20 billion yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]