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Japan’s Top Banks Break Profit Records as Interest Rates Rise

TOKYO - Japan’s three largest banking groups have all reported record net profits for the past fiscal year, with their combined earnings nearing 4 trillion yen.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan’s largest bank by assets, recorded a net profit of 1.8629 trillion yen for the 12 months through March, according to its earnings report released this week. "We are seeing strong growth both in quality and quantity," said President Hironori Kamezawa, emphasizing the group’s continued momentum.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group also surpassed the 1 trillion yen mark in net profit for the first time, reporting 1.1779 trillion yen. Mizuho Financial Group posted a profit of 885.4 billion yen, a 30.4% increase from the previous year.

The strong earnings were driven by a favorable environment, including higher interest rates following the Bank of Japan’s policy shift and gains from the sale of strategic shareholdings. Together, the three megabanks posted a combined profit of 3.9263 trillion yen, each achieving its highest level on record.

Source: TBS

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Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

Raccoons are increasingly invading homes across Japan, damaging roofs and wiring, contaminating buildings with large amounts of urine and feces, and raising concerns over agriculture, native wildlife and the spread of disease as their population continues to expand.

Nagasaki marked the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on August 9 with a memorial ceremony near the hypocenter, where Mayor Shiro Suzuki declared nuclear weapons an "absolute evil" and called on the Japanese government to uphold its Three Non-Nuclear Principles.

Transport services were gradually returning to normal on August 9 after Typhoon No. 13 caused widespread cancellations and shutdowns across Okinawa, although air travel remained disrupted as airlines worked to restore schedules and accommodate passengers stranded during the opening days of Japan's busy Obon holiday period.

Typhoon No. 13 was moving slowly west on the night of August 8 and was expected to approach the Chinese mainland by the night of August 9, but Okinawa, Amami and parts of southern Kyushu remained at risk from strong winds, intermittent heavy rain and dangerous seas even as the storm's center moved farther away.

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