Japan’s Business Failures in March 2025
(Released by TEIKOKU DATABANK, LTD.)
Number of bankruptcies exceeds that of the same month of the previous year for 35 consecutive months, longest such period since the end of World War II
Up for the third consecutive year for March
| Bankruptcies |
875 |
| Year-to-Year basis |
+0.6％ |
| Last Year same month |
870 |
| Liabilities |
97,386 million yen |
| Year-to-Year basis |
-26.2％ |
| Last Year same month |
132,005 million yen |
Highlight and Outstanding Feature
- ■There were 875 bankruptcies (870 in the same month of the previous year, up 0.6%). This marks the 35th consecutive month that the number of bankruptcies has exceeded the same month of the previous year, and the figure continues to set new records for the longest period since the end of World War 2. For March, there were over 800 bankruptcies for the third consecutive year.
- ■The total amount of liabilities came to 97,386 million yen (132,005 million yen in the same month of the previous year, down 26.2%), marking the first year-on-year decrease in five months. There were fewer bankruptcies of companies with liabilities of 100 million yen or more, and total liabilities fell below 100 billion yen for the first time in seven months. Arcadia Co., Ltd., which operated wedding halls, was the largest debtor with 5,402 million yen.
- ■By industry, the number of bankruptcies increased year-on-year in three of seven industries. The service industry accounted for the largest share (to 239 from 202 a year earlier, up 18.3%), with a noticeable increase in the advertising, research and information services industry (to 91 from 67).
- ■In terms of primary cause, recession-induced bankruptcies numbered 729, marking 35 consecutive months of year-on-year increase.
- ■By type of bankruptcy, the number of liquidation-type bankruptcies totaled 855, accounting for 97.7% of the total.
- ■By size of liabilities, bankruptcies of companies with liabilities of less than 50 million yen were the most common (550 cases). The number of bankruptcies of companies with liabilities of 100 million yen or more declined from the previous year, but with an increase in bankruptcies of small and medium-sized enterprises pushing up the overall figure.
- ■By business history, there were 246 bankruptcies of start-up companies, falling below the previous month’s figure for the first time in three years and one month.
- ■By region, six of nine regions experienced year-on-year decreases. Kanto had the highest number of bankruptcies (to 299 from 304, down 1.6% from the same month of the previous year), but with the figure falling below the same month of the previous year. Hokkaido (to 18 from 26, down 30.8%) had the second-lowest number of bankruptcies for March, following 2020 (12).
Bankruptcy Information TOP