Hokkaido Takushoku Bank

1902), with the aim to promote capitalism on the island of Hokkaidō and thus contribute to its defence against the appetites of the Russian Empire.

In 1952, the provision of "exploitation bonds", which had existed since Takugin originally opened, was ceased (this service was transferred to the Japan long-term credit bank).

Takuchan savings boxes made of vinyl chloride are still popular among figure collectors to this day.

For example, they had financed the Sapporo real-estate company Kabuto Decom to more than ¥120 billion, helping it to grow rapidly, and when the bubble collapsed and the debt became bad, from 1993 onwards they changed their attitude to coercively recovering the money.

However, owing to mistrust over differences in perception of the bad debts, and emotional arguments based on the long-time rivalry with Takugin, the employees of Dohgin were strongly opposed to the merger.

After the failure of the merger, Takugin's financial insecurity increased yet again, such that its share price actually fell 100 yen below the level assigned for a bankruptcy warning.

The cash flow situation was now more difficult, but Takugin was managing to put together some capital based on fixed-term loans from big lenders at relatively high interest rates, and from the "call market".

As a result, the unsecured call market descended into chaos, with every funding facility ordering an emergency decrease in its credit line.

On 17 November, an emergency meeting of the board of directors was organized in the Palace Hotel, Tokyo, where the decision was finally taken to abandon hope of continuing business.

That sign of decisiveness on the part of the Japanese authorities, made in coordination with U.S. counterparts, triggered a market rally.

[4] All operations outside Hokkaido were then absorbed by what is now Chūō Mitsui Trust and Banking Co. After the inauguration of Chūō Mitsui Trust, almost all the old Takugin branches outside of Hokkaidō have disappeared, and only the branches associated with Takugin's old partners Shakujii (in Tokyo) and Sugido (in Saitama prefecture) remain.