The average daily balance of Japanese bank lending fell 4.5 percent in April from a year earlier, the Bank of Japan said Thursday in a preliminary report.
The balance of loans at five types of Japanese banks fell to 391.45 trillion yen, down for the 76th straight month and below 400 trillion yen for the ninth consecutive month, the BOJ said.
The downtrend reflects continued weak demand for funds by companies striving to reduce debts.
The data cover banks with nationwide branch networks, dubbed "city banks," long-term credit banks, trust banks, regional banks and second-tier regional banks, the BOJ said.