UFJ Holdings, Japan's fourth-biggest bank, said today it was seeking a takeover by bigger rival Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group (MTFG) in a rescue that would create the world's biggest banking group.
A successful takeover would mark a milestone for Japan's financial reform and economic recovery as UFJ, with a market value of 2.4 trillion yen ($22.2 billion), has been a laggard among major Japanese banks in cleaning up its balance sheet.
A merger would also give birth to a financial behemoth, with assets worth $1.74 trillion, toppling US financial conglomerate Citigroup, with $1.32 trillion, from the top of the global ranking.
UFJ said it aimed to reach a basic agreement with MTFG by the end of the week.
Investors welcomed the news, driving the Tokyo stock market's banking sector index IBNKS.up 1.38 per cent despite a 2.17 per cent drop in the benchmark Nikkei average
A takeover will have to overcome major obstacles, however.
Shortly after the plan was announced, Sumitomo Trust & Banking, which had earlier agreed to buy UFJ's trust bank unit, threatened legal action against UFJ, which was backing out of the sale.
In addition, credit rating agency Standard & Poor's said MTFG's rating could be hurt as a result of a deal.
Still, a deal would help erase concerns that banking sector instability could derail Japan's hard-won economic recovery from a decade of stagnation and scupper its fight against deflation.
For MTFG, the country's third-biggest bank and considered the healthiest, a takeover of UFJ would provide a much-needed boost to its retail network.
UFJ, burdened with 3.95 trillion yen ($36.47 billion) in bad loans, has been the odd one out among Japan's major banks, most of which showed their first profits in three years in the 2003/04 business term that ended in March.
UFJ reported losses for a third straight year and its top officials resigned in May to take responsibility.
Mr Graeme Knowd, director of investment research at UBS Securities Japan, said a merger should help UFJ reduce bad loans, due in part to accounting factors that give the bank some extra capital to work with.
"With a Japanese bank merger, there is always a capital surplus," he said.