The average balance of lending at Japanese banks in April-September grew 1.9 percent from a year before, the highest rise in four years, the Bank of Japan said Thursday.
The growth was the largest since the 2.4 percent rise in April-September of 2009, when fund demand surged due to financial market turmoil after the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in September 2008.
For September, the overall average lending balance at banks and shinkin banks rose 2 percent from a year before to ¥468.5 trillion.
