Banks should expedite their restructuring efforts and get a better understanding of their responsibility in the nation's financial system, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said Thursday.Nonaka's remarks were directed at a comment made earlier in the day by Satoru Kishi, chairman of the Federation of Bankers Associations of Japan and chairman of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, that the government should not make banks apply for injections of capital funds.Condemning Kishi's comment, Nonaka said some of Japan's financial institutions still run luxurious dormitories and summer houses while ordinary people are testing their patience with the country's record-low interest rates."I wonder if they realize the significance of their roles in the nation's financial system and its economy. I'm truly disappointed (to hear such a comment)," he told a regular press conference.The government is currently planning to urge some banks to accept public funds to increase their financial strength if they do not apply voluntarily.Many banks are currently hesitant to apply for such funds out of fear that such an act may drive away their depositors and that stricter disclosure and restructuring requirements may be imposed on them.Nonaka added that banks should respond to the serious capital shortage in the business sector, a condition triggered by their reluctance to lend.
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