Japan’s Business Failures in September 2025
(Released by TEIKOKU DATABANK, LTD.)
Number of bankruptcies exceeds previous year for fourth consecutive month
Bankruptcies of companies with liabilities of less than 50 million yen were the second-highest ever
| Bankruptcies |
909 |
| Year-to-Year basis |
+22.7% |
| Last Year same month |
741 |
| Liabilities |
98,604 million yen |
| Year-to-Year basis |
▲24.8％ |
| Last Year same month |
131,187 million yen |
Highlight and Outstanding Feature
- ■There were 909 bankruptcies (741 bankruptcies in the same month of the previous year, up 22.7% year-on-year), exceeding the previous year for the fourth consecutive month. For September, the number exceeded 900 for the first time in 15 years since 2010 (943). The cumulative total for the January–September 2025 period was 7,619, an increase of 325 or 4.5% from the same period of the previous year (7,294).
- ■The total amount of liabilities came to 98,604 million yen (131,187 million yen in the same month of the previous year, down 24.8%), marking the first year-on-year decrease in two months. Nexus Enterprises Co., Ltd., which operated amusement arcades, had the largest amount of liabilities at about 6,500 million yen.
- ■By industry, the number of bankruptcies increased year-on-year in six of seven industries. The service industry (to 225 bankruptcies from 209 in the same month of the previous year, up 7.7%) posted the highest figure. This was followed by the retail industry (to 209 bankruptcies from 159 in the same month of the previous year, up 31.4%), and these figures for the service and retail industries were the highest for September since 2000.
- ■In terms of primary cause, recession-induced bankruptcies numbered 757, surpassing the same month of the previous year for four consecutive months.
- ■By type, there were 881 cases of liquidation-type bankruptcy, surpassing the same month of the previous year for four consecutive months.
- ■By size, bankruptcies of companies with liabilities of “less than 50 million yen” numbered 572, the second-highest ever after May 2024 (624).
- ■By business history, there were 269 bankruptcies of start-up companies, surpassing the same month of the previous year for the first time in five months.
- ■By region, eight of nine regions experienced year-on-year increases. The largest number of bankruptcies was in Kanto (to 294 bankruptcies from 271 in the previous fiscal year, up 8.5%), followed by Kinki (to 247 bankruptcies from 180, up 37.2%). In total, 29 prefectures saw increases year-on-year.
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