Japan Bank's Crisis Triple Whammy

The fourth-quarter loss was reported as the Japanese government threw a £12bn lifeline to companies threatened by the global financial crisis.
Nomura bought the Asian, European and Middle East operations of failed Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers last year, aiming to expand its business outside its domestic market.
But it has been forced to pay out large sums to keep key Lehman employees and absorb other costs at a time when the financial crisis has triggered losses on its own business.
Nomura announced last month that it had a £225m exposure to Madoff, the Wall Street trader accused of running a £35bn worldwide fraud.
The bank's bad news comes amid turmoil in Japan, which the government is seeking to turn around with a plan to shield the shrinking economy from more job losses and bankruptcies.
Under the scheme, Japanese state banks will buy shares in non-financial companies threatened by collapsing demand and frozen credit markets.
This will compound efforts by the Bank of Japan to make funds available by buying corporate debt from lenders.
The government share buying would support small- and medium-sized firms, which employ 70% of Japan's workforce and are critical suppliers to the major manufacturers at the heart of Japan's economy.
Japanese bankruptcies jumped 24% in December from a year earlier.