Japan’s Business Failures in March 2026
(Released by TEIKOKU DATABANK, LTD.)
Number of bankruptcies exceeds previous year for third consecutive month
FY2025 bankruptcies expected to exceed 10,000 for the second consecutive year
| Bankruptcies |
943 |
| Year-to-Year basis |
+7.8% |
| Last Year same month |
875 |
| Liabilities |
130,411 million yen |
| Year-to-Year basis |
+33.9% |
| Last Year same month |
97,386 million yen |
Highlight and Outstanding Feature
- ■There were 943 bankruptcies (875 in the same month of the previous year, up 7.8% year-on-year), marking the fourth consecutive month in which the figure exceeded the previous year’s level, and the third-highest monthly total this fiscal year, following July 2025 (956). It was the first time in five months that the monthly number exceeded 900. For March, the number exceeded 900 for the first time in 14 years since 2012 (1,040).
- ■Liabilities totaled 130,411 million yen (97,386 million yen in the same month of the previous year, up 33.9%), marking the first year-on-year increase in three months. Mikawa Country Club Co., Ltd., the operator of a members-only golf club, had the largest debt at 12,000 million yen.
- ■By industry, the number of bankruptcies increased year-on-year in six of seven industries. The service industry had the most cases (to 251 from 239 in the same month last year, up 5.0%), marking the second-highest number since 2000, following July 2025 (263). The retail industry (to 194 bankruptcies from 176, up 10.2%) saw a year-on-year increase for the third consecutive month.
- ■By major cause, the number of “recession-type bankruptcies” including “difficulty in collecting accounts receivable,” which was the highest in the past 10 years, was 771, accounting for 81.8% of the total, and up for three months in a row.
- ■By type of bankruptcy, there were 43 cases of “reorganization-type” bankruptcies, exceeding 40 for the first time in March in 14 years since 2012 (54).
- ■By size of liabilities, there were 575 bankruptcies of companies with liabilities of “less than 50 million yen,” the highest number for March since 2000.
- ■By length of business history, bankruptcies of companies that had operated for “30 years or more” were the most common with 324 cases, which was the highest for March in the past 10 years.
- ■By region, seven of nine regions experienced year-on-year increases. Kinki (to 271 from 232 bankruptcies in the same month last year, up 16.8%) increased year-on-year for the fourth consecutive month and was the highest in the past 10 years.
Bankruptcy Information TOP