Towa Real Estate, a developer affiliated with the big Fujita construction firm, has asked Tokai Bank to do much the same.

ECONOMIST: Japanese banks

Sanwa is under pressure to act quickly, for its exposure to Daiei will double when it merges with Tokai Bank, another lender, in April.

ECONOMIST: Japan's banks

Tokai Bank said this week that it will decide in December how big a chunk of its remaining non-performing loans to write off.

ECONOMIST: Japanese banks