Mitsubishi Bank

[7]: 3 During World War II, Mitsubishi Bank was a financier of Japanese interests in Manchuria through its branch in Dalian, opened in 1933.

[5] Its London and New York offices closed during the war, but reopened in 1953.

[citation needed] In 1969, Mitsubishi and Dai-Ichi Bank, Japan's oldest bank, began preparations for a merger, which would have led to a major regrouping in the bank-led keiretsu system of the era.

But the plan met opposition among Dai-Ichi's management and its customers in the Furukawa and Kawasaki groups, who feared that Mitsubishi would dominate the combined bank and that their businesses would be absorbed by the relatively strong Mitsubishi group.

In addition to its home country of Japan, Mitsubishi was also active in California, where it began banking operations in 1972 through Mitsubishi Bank of California.

Mitsubishi building in Marunouchi , early home of Mitsubishi Bank; possibly photographed upon completion in 1894
Mitsubishi Bank's head office building erected in 1922 across the street from the previous one, eventually demolished in 1977 [ 1 ]
The same building following enlargement in the 1930s
Mitsubishi Bank's more recent head office in Marunouchi , completed 1980 on the same site; [ 2 ] lately headquarters of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and earmarked for reconstruction [ 3 ]
The first Mitsubishi building recreated in 2009 on original location, home of Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum