Corporate governance of Japanese banks

This chapter explores the corporate governance of Japanese banks and how it has changed in the aftermath of the banking crisis of the 1990s and the global financial crisis of the 2000s. The cases of three banks _ Resona, Shinsei and Mizuho _ illustrate the diversity of corporate governance practices adopted during this period, and the roles of the Financial Services Agency (FSA) and the chief executive officers (CEOs) of banks themselves in promoting board reform. The cases show how boards of directors can play an important role in strategic reorientation and cultural change in banks, in particular through their nominations function. The cases also show that boards of directors in Japanese banks have had limited success in risk mitigation. The FSA, in contrast, has been successful in reducing risk in the banking sector, but less effective in encouraging strategic and cultural change to deal with changing domestic and global conditions.