Structured Lists Directory

Overview

Types of Banks

Japanese banks are broadly classified into ordinary banks under the Banking Act (city banks, regional banks, second-tier regional banks, internet banks, etc.) and cooperative financial institutions (credit unions, credit associations, labor banks, etc.). Under the supervision of the Financial Services Agency, each plays a distinct role in supporting Japan's financial system. City banks operate nationwide targeting large corporations, regional banks focus on local communities, internet banks provide digital-native services, and cooperative institutions aim for mutual aid among members.

bank financial institution city bank regional bank internet bank credit union cooperative finance FSA
code slug name description category count
01 city-banks City Banks Large-scale banks headquartered in major cities operating nationwide. ordinary_bank 5
02 regional-banks Regional Banks Banks headquartered in regional cities providing community-focused financial services. ordinary_bank 62
03 second-tier-regional-banks Second-Tier Regional Banks Banks converted from former mutual banks specializing in financing for small and medium-sized enterprises. ordinary_bank 30
04 internet-banks Internet Banks Banks without physical branches that primarily operate through the internet. ordinary_bank 15
05 trust-banks Trust Banks Banks that also engage in trust business, conducting asset management and securitization. ordinary_bank 2
06 japan-post-bank Japan Post Bank A special bank with Japan's largest deposit balance using post offices as service windows. ordinary_bank 1
07 credit-unions Credit Unions Cooperative financial institutions targeting local SMEs and individuals. cooperative 240
08 credit-associations Credit Associations Smaller cooperative financial institutions based on the Small and Medium Enterprise Cooperatives Act. cooperative 57
09 labor-banks Labor Banks Cooperative financial institutions aimed at workers' welfare. cooperative 13
10 agricultural-cooperatives Agricultural Cooperatives Cooperatives for farmers that also conduct financial business, known as JA. cooperative 359
11 fishery-cooperatives Fishery Cooperatives Cooperatives for fishermen that also conduct financial business. cooperative
12 foreign-banks Foreign Banks Branches of foreign banks established in Japan. ordinary_bank
13 government-financial-institutions Government Financial Institutions Policy-based financial institutions established and funded by the government. government

Classification of Japanese banks based on legal form and business characteristics.