1.   Japanese banks have been hit hard by the rise in interest rates.

2.   The week before the deal was supposed to close, fifteen Japanese banks made a move to pull out.

3.   Already, foreign banks are raising their charges on loans to Japanese banks, and in some cases they are trimming credit to them.

4.   Already, Japanese banks are looking for new ways to raise cash overseas.

5.   Also weighing on bonds Monday was concern about the possibility that the Japanese government might consider selling some of its Treasury securities to help troubled Japanese banks.

6.   Also, Japanese banks have significant exposure in loans to Korea.

7.   American banks are going through a wave of mergers and acquisitions intended to reduce capacity and improve efficiency, and Japanese banks are also experiencing a painful consolidation.

8.   American depositary receipts of Mitsubishi Bank Ltd. fell yesterday after Japanese banks had to pay more to borrow money overseas.

9.   American officials are busily trying to come up with reliable estimates of how much Japanese banks are exposed to Korea.

10.   Among other points, Takemura called on Japanese banks to be more independent and said his ministry would strive to loosen its influence on their management policies.