Teikoku Databank America

The U.S. arm of Japan’s largest credit research company @TDB_PR . Reports in Japan and worldwide. Credit risk, bankruptcies, and practical market insights.

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

We are the U.S. arm of Japan’s largest credit research company.

We help teams assess Japanese counterparties, suppliers, and market opportunities, and provide company credit reports in Japan and around the world.

Topics: credit risk, bankruptcy trends, and Japan market intelligence.

Follow for practical Japan business insights.

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Japan risk intelligence: Strong tourism demand is not enough to protect every business.

Sushi restaurant bankruptcies rose 45.5% year over year to 16 cases in the first half of 2026, even as the share of loss-making operators fell to a 20-year low.

The pressure is concentrated among small neighborhood restaurants facing higher seafood and rice costs, a shortage of skilled sushi chefs, aging owner-operators, and a lack of successors.

The takeaway: healthy demand does not automatically mean business resilience. For smaller Japanese firms, human capital and succession risk can be just as critical as sales and profitability.

#JapanEconomy #RestaurantIndustry #CreditRisk https://t.co/Tt9hM0l36B

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Update on Japan’s largest bankruptcy of 2026: Zentoshin’s liabilities at the time of filing have been confirmed at approximately JPY 115.1 billion (about $800 million). A deeper look by Teikoku Databank points to broader structural issues. What does this mean for the Japanese economy?

Background: Zentoshin was an early provider of credit card settlement services, primarily for restaurants. While the pandemic hit many of its clients hard, the underlying problems appear to run deeper, including fraudulent merchant contracts and allegations of window dressing over a span of 20 years.

Economic impact: The sudden halt in settlement services has frozen critical funds for thousands of restaurants. Because uncollected sales are now being treated as bankruptcy claims, many small businesses may face severe cash flow pressure, raising concerns about a chain reaction of failures across the food and beverage sector.

Outlook: This collapse highlights a hidden vulnerability in Japan’s economy — the payment-route supply chain. We expect tighter oversight and growing demand for greater transparency in payment infrastructure. Businesses should also reassess their B2B credit and counterparty risk management.
#CreditRisk #JAPAN

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Breaking News: Japan's largest corporate bankruptcy of the year!
Osaka-based "Zentoshin", an early settlement agency service for credit card sales, has filed for bankruptcy. The company's total liabilities amount to a staggering 125.9 billion yen (approx. $870 million).
#Japan #BusinessNews #Bankruptcy #Economy

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Breaking News: Japan's largest corporate bankruptcy of the year!
Osaka-based "Zentoshin", an early settlement agency service for credit card sales, has filed for bankruptcy. The company's total liabilities amount to a staggering 125.9 billion yen (approx. $870 million).
#Japan #BusinessNews #Bankruptcy #Economy

[帝国データバンク［公式］ @TDB_PR]

今年最大の倒産　クレジットカード売上の早期決済代行サービス「全東信」（大阪）が破産、負債額は約1259億2900万円
＃全東信　＃クレジットカード　＃決済　＃不正

https://t.co/5a1UHHzyQl

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Japan's ramen market is projected to hit a record ¥885.5 billion in FY2025, potentially reaching the ¥1 trillion mark by FY2027! 🍜

However, soaring costs have halved profits.
The industry is now shifting towards cost management, DX, and price polarization (low-cost vs premium).

https://t.co/aNXvfuEH92　
#Ramen #JapanMarket #BusinessTrends

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Food inflation in Japan is hitting hard in 2026 🇯🇵
Prices for 2,566 items are jumping this July alone, and we are on track for 20,000 price hikes this year.
A weak yen and global tensions are driving this 5th consecutive year of rising costs. #JapanEconomy #Inflation

[TDB景気動向[公式] @TDB_KEIKI]

【値上げ品目は2万品目台も】
2026年7月の飲食料品値上げは、合計2566品目となりました。
中東情勢の悪化を背景に、今夏以降に値上げラッシュが続くとみられ、年間では2万品目台📈に到達するとみられます。

https://t.co/tqmVscgTrQ

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Is Japan really running out of naphtha? 🇯🇵

Our latest Teikoku Databank survey reveals the reality: It's NOT a total material shortage, but a localized supply chain bottleneck.
Demand-side rushes to secure inventory (51.7% of firms) and supply-side cautious contracting have caused mid-stream crunches, particularly in coatings and packaging, rather than upstream raw materials.

#SupplyChain #Naphtha

https://t.co/p9wvDaOXWv

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

What's in a name?

A lot, apparently.

In 2025, over 21,500 Japanese companies changed their corporate names. Here's what the data tells us:

🔤 The #1 added word: "Holdings" — reflecting a wave of group reorganizations and M&A activity

🤖 Fastest-rising keyword: "AI" — companies want it in their name, not just their strategy

🏭 Most dropped word: "Industry" (工業) — firms are distancing themselves from traditional manufacturing imagery

📈 The dominant trend: switching from Japanese to English names. Companies are betting that alphabet-based branding signals modernization and global ambition.

Nearly half of all name changes came from companies less than 10 years old — younger firms are rebranding aggressively to carve out their identity.

Three patterns defined the year: keeping local roots, projecting a global image, and aligning the company name with the consumer-facing brand.
Full report (Japanese): https://t.co/8wDkp2o0Mk

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Bankruptcies and business closures in the management consulting sector are on pace to hit a record high in 2026✅
The consulting market’s growth rate is slowing, marking a shift from the rapid expansion phase of recent years.
Firms that cannot differentiate through expertise are expected to struggle under the downward pressure from the rise of generative AI, accelerating further industry shakeout.

[TDB景気動向[公式] @TDB_KEIKI]

2026年の #経営コンサル の倒産・休廃業、過去最多ペースで推移‼️

コンサル市場の伸び率は縮小傾向で、これまでの急拡大フェーズから転換期を迎えています。
専門性で差別化できない事業者は、生成AIの台頭による下押し圧力に耐えきれず、さらに淘汰が加速するとみられます。
https://t.co/ma4FGwzBH2

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

History may be rhyming again.

During the oil shocks of the 1970s, rising fuel prices helped Japanese automakers gain global prominence with smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.

Today, the disruption in energy prices caused by the Iran war may be creating a similar shift in demand. This time, however, the beneficiaries may not be high-efficiency internal combustion vehicles, but electrified vehicles — including EVs and hybrids — especially Chinese automakers that have been strengthening their competitiveness.

If this trend continues, it may prove to be more than a temporary boost in sales. It could mark a broader turning point in the global auto market, with the center of gravity shifting further from fuel efficiency toward electrification.
https://t.co/sdwHghowrV

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

The average assumed USD/JPY rate for Japanese companies in FY2026 is ¥147.87/$, but that does not tell the full story.
TDB says the median is ¥155 and the most common assumption is ¥160. The average is being pulled lower by a smaller group of firms still assuming much stronger yen levels. With the actual rate hovering around ¥160/$ since April, the mismatch remains meaningful. https://t.co/L1WBItzp9B #TDB

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

This is not a classic boom-time rate hike. The BOJ appears to be moving not because the economy is running too hot, but because yen weakness and underlying inflation risks are becoming harder to overlook. With oil prices falling, some near-term pressure has eased, but this still looks more like a defensive move than a growth-led one.

[Reuters @Reuters]

Bank of Japan set to hike rates to 31-year high, drop hawkish signals https://t.co/pazGZRmjnK https://t.co/pazGZRmjnK

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Ray Dalio gave Bridgewater employees "Baseball Cards." Don Quijote's parent PPIH went further — it turned them into RPG characters.
Its new HR system generates game-style avatars for employees. Badges show achievements, and as you get promoted, your character "levels up" — top executives literally get dragons and halos.
Behind the fun is a serious question: how does a company keep growing after its charismatic founder steps back? PPIH's answer is to hard-code his philosophy — "work as a game, not labor" — into everything, even HR.
Access to the HR platform jumped 15x. Sometimes the best way to make people engage with data is to make it play like a game.
https://t.co/K5hF8K7x54

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Economic DI Improves to 41.6 for the First Time in Three Months

In May 2026, Japan’s domestic economy avoided a sharp downturn, supported by strong AI-related demand, even as concerns persisted over rising costs and supply constraints caused by the Middle East supply shock.

Looking ahead, while some factors supporting recovery remain, the pace of improvement is expected to be sluggish, with the economy likely to hover at around current levels.

https://t.co/c5XagqToTm

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

https://t.co/lXS0UN3wzH

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

https://t.co/Mvg0rI5heq

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Sushi is the pride of Japan, and its global presence keeps growing! 🍣
With a major Japanese sushi chain opening soon in Manhattan, NYC, authentic flavors are expanding worldwide.
According to our TDB industry report, Japan’s sushi market has expanded 1.6x over the past decade, reaching record highs.

#Sushi #Manhattan #TeikokuDatabank

[Nikkei Asia @NikkeiAsia]

Trump investment comes as Kura Sushi pursues US expansion https://t.co/Kk45Kmy1Wj

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

The Clarity Act is a proposed bill aimed at clarifying the regulatory framework for crypto assets in the United States.
Its key significance lies in formally bringing crypto assets into the regulated U.S. financial system.
If enacted, the bill could make it easier for traditional financial institutions to participate in on-chain finance, including through stablecoins, while giving everyday U.S. users access to a broader range of financial services.

[Faryar Shirzad 🛡️ @faryarshirzad]

Huge bipartisan vote for the CLARITY Act at the Senate Banking Committee today!

Fantastic work by so many people, including @SenatorTimScott @SenLummis @SenThomTillis @berniemoreno @SenRubenGallego @AlsobrooksForMD.

Heroic and tireless work by the expert staff, especially on @BankingGOP.

Plus huge thanks and respect to @POTUS’s extraordinary team, led by @patrickjwitt Tyler Williams, Harry Jung and many others.

Historic.

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

A wonderful event that strengthens the ties between Japan and the local community.
Thank you to all the organizers and participants for your great effort.

[Reuters @Reuters]

New York's annual Japan Parade drew large crowds as over 100 groups took part in cultural performances and a street fair highlighting Japanese food and traditions, celebrating the long-standing relationship between Japan and the city

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Japan’s business sentiment fell sharply in April 2026.
TDB’s Business DI dropped 1.4 points to 41.5, marking a second straight monthly decline, as higher oil prices, rising procurement costs, delayed price pass-through, and weaker consumer spending weighed on sentiment.

https://t.co/c48Jsf9KrG

[Teikoku Databank America @TDB_America]

Japan's largest "resignation agency" Momuri was just busted for violating attorney laws. Nikkei has the full story.

But here's the thing: resignation agencies are a service that exists only in Japan. CNN, the Washington Post, and other international outlets have all covered it as a uniquely Japanese phenomenon.
Lifetime employment, seniority-based promotion, and a culture where you simply don't say no to your boss — that combination created a service found nowhere else on earth.

A common reaction is: "Kids these days can't even quit on their own?"
I see it differently.
Before resignation agencies existed, what did unhappy new hires do?
They just stopped showing up. No notice, no handover, no forwarding address. The company would say "that kid had no guts" and move on. Nobody talked about it. It just happened quietly.

Now compare that to someone who pays $150, formally communicates their intention to resign through a proxy, and arranges for unused vacation days and a proper handover. Compared to ghosting, that's far more responsible. Far more grown-up, honestly.

Research from Persol Research Institute backs this up. The typical resignation agency user is NOT the "selfish, irresponsible young worker" that people imagine. They tend to be team-oriented, conscientious employees who agonized over the decision before finally reaching a breaking point.

It's precisely because they care about their team that they can't just disappear — so they pay someone to help them do it the right way.
The real problem isn't "young people using resignation agencies." It's companies that refuse to let people quit. Bosses who tear up resignation letters. Bosses who make employees kneel and bow on the floor. One company even dragged an employee to a temple for an "exorcism" to cure their desire to quit.
These sound like jokes, but they're real cases from Momuri's records.

According to Teikoku Databank (TDB), there are at least 52 firms offering resignation services across Japan — about 60% are private operators, about 30% are law firms.
The Momuri bust has put the industry at a crossroads, but demand for this service won't disappear as long as the structural problems in Japanese workplaces remain.
🔗 Full Report: https://t.co/g5ZtMK5wGT

#JapanBusiness #WorkCulture #TDB

[日本経済新聞 電子版（日経電子版） @nikkei]

モームリ問題で「辞めさせない会社」浮き彫り　退職代行にすがる社員
https://t.co/N96nPLAUAE