Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, one of Japan’s three so-called “megabanks,” on Thursday reported a full-year loss of nearly $4 billion and said it planned to raise $8 billion via a new share offer, The New York Times reported. The news raised fresh concerns about the health of the country’s other banks as Japan’s recession deepens. SMFG said it had accrued a net loss of ¥390 billion, or about $3.9 billion, during the fiscal year that ended March 31--far off the ¥180 billion profit it had projected and the ¥462 billion profit it made the previous year.

Japan’s ruling party unveiled the country’s biggest-ever economic stimulus plan Thursday, a ¥15.4 trillion, or $154.4 billion, package of subsidies and tax breaks that aims to stem a deepening recession in the world’s second-biggest economy, the New York Times reported. The Liberal Democratic Party released details of the draft stimulus, worth about 3 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product, ahead of a formal announcement Friday. The plan would bring Japan’s total stimulus spending to ¥27 trillion since Prime Minister Taro Aso took office in September.

HMP Constructions, one of Queensland’s largest privately-held companies, has entered voluntary administration with the loss of an estimated 500 jobs and debts of around $150 million, the Queensland Business Review reported. It is reported the company was hit by BHP Billiton's decision to axe contracting from its Goonyella mine in Central Queensland, where some 350 staff were employed.

Japan's economy, the second-largest in the world, is shrinking at the fastest pace in more than 30 years, roughly twice as fast as the U.S. economy, The Washington Post reported. Exports and imports declined in February at a record rate, with monthly sales to the United States down nearly 60 percent compared with last year. Tokyo is giving itself public-works medicine for these global trade ills, deploying legions of men and women with flags and hard hats to repave streets, repaint crosswalks and fix broken clocks in city parks.

The British division of HSBC PLC said Wednesday that it may lay off as many as 1,200 staff following a review of operations, although the Unite union claimed that 2,900 staff would be affected. HSBC UK said the 1,200 cuts represent about 2% of its 58,000 employees in Britain and are being made in information technology, human resources and other support operations -- not in front-line branch staff. Some employees would be able to take other positions within the company, HSBC said.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Japan's biggest bank by assets, said on Monday it plans to close about 50 branches and cut 1,000 jobs over the next three years as part of its ongoing effort to cut costs, The Wall Street Journal reported. The plan for its core banking unit Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, includes shutting down at least 200 automatic teller machines. Firing people in Japan is extremely difficult because of tough labor laws protecting staff and public pressure on companies to preserve social stability.

Sony Corp. said it will impose a salary freeze on its full-time workers in Japan for one year to cut costs as the electronics giant braces for a massive loss amid a deepening global downturn, The Wall Street Journal reported. The salary freeze will be effective from April, and Sony's managers with non-board posts will be also take a 35% to 40% cut in their annual bonuses for the fiscal year starting next month, a Sony spokeswoman said. "Our business environment is severe.

The Bank of Japan said it may buy subordinated loans from banks for the first time to revive lending and replenish capital depleted by falling stock prices, Bloomberg reported. The central bank is considering the purchase of up to 1 trillion yen ($10 billion) of the debt in an “exceptional” step, it said in a statement in Tokyo today. The bank concludes a two-day policy meeting tomorrow.

Pacific Holdings, one of Japan’s largest real estate investment fund sponsors, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday with liabilities of Y163.6 billion ($1.6 billion) after failing to receive a capital injection from 10 Chinese investors to help repay part of its debts, the Financial Times reported. The failure of Pacific--which sponsors both Nippon Residential and Nippon Commercial real estate investment trusts--reflects the difficulty many property companies are facing raising funds either in the capital markets or from banks.

The number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan rose 10.38% in the 12 months to February to 1,318, according to Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd. Compared to January, the number of bankruptcy cases fell 3.08% from 1,360. The credit research firm also reported that the total debt of bankrupt companies increased 236.55% year-over-year in February to ¥1.23 trillion. On a monthly basis, the amount of debt rose 46.5% from January's level. Read more.