Group of Seven financial leaders agreed on the need to continue supporting their economies until financial recovery takes a firmer hold, but they have yet to reach a consensus on how to overhaul regulation of their financial sectors, The Wall Street Journal reported. French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said leaders were unable to make collective decisions on a U.S. proposal to limit proprietary trading at commercial banks, partly because financial institutions in countries including France, Germany and Japan aren't plagued by the same issues as U.S. banks.

The decline and fall of Japan Airlines, once Asia's largest carrier, which was put under bankruptcy protection on Jan. 19, is a tale of intellectual, political and financial corruption on an almost unimaginable scale, The Vancouver Sun reported. It is also an illustration of the massive task facing the new Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama if it genuinely intends to try to dismantle the institutionally entrenched wrongheadedness that has overtaken Japan during more than 50 years of rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

A leading credit rating agency threatened Tuesday to downgrade Japan’s rating unless the world’s second-largest economy took more steps to rein in its mounting public debt, The New York Times reported. The warning by Standard & Poor’s, which cut its outlook for Japan’s sovereign rating for the first time since 2002, reflected concerns that the government’s efforts to trim its mounting public debt were proceeding too slowly. The Japanese economy has emerged from its worst recession since World War II, but is still reeling.

Bank of Japan policy makers are prepared to consider expanding an emergency-loan program for banks and increasing purchases of government debt should the recovery falter, people with knowledge of the matter said, Bloomberg reported. The central bank’s board will leave interest rates and its lending program unchanged tomorrow, 16 of 17 economists said in a Bloomberg News survey.

All Nippon Airways Co. sees the bankruptcy of Japan Airlines Corp. as an opportunity to grow its international business significantly and emerge even stronger than its larger rival, a top executive said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal Friday. "We need to get stronger when they are sick," said Keisuke Okada, an ANA board member and executive vice president of alliances and international affairs.

A pillar of Japan Inc. founded in 1951 to help the country rise from the ashes of World War II, Asia's largest airline by revenue sought court protection from creditors on Tuesday to grapple with a debt load of $25 billion, a level well above its cash flow, The Wall Street Journal reporeted. Japan's new government played a big role in steering the company toward bankruptcy protection and portrayed the moves—despite the new subsidies—as an early sign of how economic policy making is changing since the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost power four months ago.

Alarmed by the amount of government involvement in Japan Airlines Corp.'s restructuring, the president of rival All Nippon Airways Co. ratcheted up warnings Wednesday that the state-supported overhaul could undermine competition in the airline industry, The Wall Street Journal reported. ANA President and Chief Executive Shinichiro Ito said his greatest concern is that fierce price competition could break out once JAL receives a government-backed lifeline of $10 billion to support its ailing operations. Mr.

Japan Airlines Corp.'s stint under bankruptcy protection isn't likely to be short or simple, The Wall Street Journal reported. The carrier, known as JAL, faces massive liabilities and has a sprawling business that covers everything from jet-fuel procurement to aircraft leasing, both in Japan and overseas. The case could also raise challenging questions about whether bankruptcy protection will be recognized as it does business in other countries. JAL said Tuesday it expects its international operations to continue as normal, though some detail may need to be sorted out.

The two core units of Japan Airlines Corp in charge of operating flights and procuring funds will file for bankruptcy protection along their parent, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Friday. Japan Airlines Corp, Asia's largest airline by revenues, will file for bankruptcy protection as early as Tuesday as part of a restructuring package being crafted by a state-backed turnaround fund, sources have told Reuters.

The ongoing restructuring of Japan Airlines has landed legal advisory roles for Steptoe & Johnson, Hogan & Hartson, Jones Day, and two of Japan’s leading law firms, The AmLaw Daily reported. Eiji Katayama, a name partner at Japanese firm Abe, Ikubo & Katayama in Tokyo, is advising ETIC on JAL’s restructuring efforts. Under Japanese bankruptcy law, Katayama will likely be appointed trustee for JAL, where he would perform most of the duties traditionally reserved for debtors’ counsel in the U.S.