11.   The ministry has also placed its newly retired officials at other financial companies, including banks and credit cooperatives, Athat it regulates.

12.   The ministry has also placed its newly retired officials at other financial companies, including banks and credit cooperatives, that it regulates.

13.   The Tokyo metropolitan government will shut down troubled credit cooperatives under its jurisdiction and ask other financial institutions to take over their business, a government official said.

14.   Those delinquent loans will be turned over to Tokyo Kyodo Bank, a special bank set up in March to take over two failed credit cooperatives.

15.   Tokyo district prosecutors today arrested the former presidents of two Tokyo credit cooperatives that failed last year under billions of yens in bad loans.

16.   Under the bills, the government will set up a special fund to finance the shutdown of collapsed credit cooperatives.

17.   A small credit cooperative in southwestern Guizhou province was closed for the same reason.

18.   Critics say the plan forces citizens to pay to make life easier for private companies and credit cooperatives affiliated with the politically powerful farm lobby.

19.   Many such small banks have been formed by mergers between credit cooperatives.

20.   On Friday, reports that two small Japanese credit cooperatives were near collapse pushed the yen a bit lower.