Corporate bankruptcies in Japan down for 11th straight month.

Japan Weekly Monitor, December, 2003

TOKYO, Dec. 12 Kyodo

The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan fell 20.7% in November from a year earlier to 1,136, marking the 11th consecutive month of decline, Teikoku Databank Ltd. said Friday.

But combined debts left by the failed companies increased 75.2% to 1,008.9 billion yen, surpassing the 1 trillion yen mark for the first time in two months, the credit research agency said in a report covering failures involving liabilities of 10 million yen or more.

The debt tally is the sixth largest for November in the postwar period, Teikoku Databank said.

The number of bankruptcies fell as credit transactions contracted and companies avoided risk-taking strategies.

Teikoku Databank also referred to public assistance...