Why has Japan suffered from the NPL problem for such a long time? We will answer to this question from a governance perspective that emphasizes important influence of the governance structure on bank management. In our opinion, Japan failed to motivate banks to play the role of monitoring...

While the Japanese banking sector seems to have disciplined borrower firms for inefficient management in the high growth era, its fragility was revealed by the serious non-performing loans since the early 1990s. According to 'the financial restraint hypothesis' advocated by Hellmann, Murdock and...

This paper statistically reexamines the conventional view that the main bank relationship has been an important element of corporate governance in Japan. According to the view, in postwar Japan, the main bank relationship has contributed to efficient management of borrower firms in place of the...