Corporate bankruptcies in Japan surged 22 per cent year on year to a decade high in the first half of the year due to rising costs, labour shortages and waning financial support, according to a recent survey by a credit research company.

The total number of bankruptcies from January to June came to 4,887, the highest since 2014, Japan’s Teikoku Databank said in its latest online report, Xinhua news agency reported.

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By industry, the service industry had the largest number at 1,228, followed by retail with 1,029 and construction with 917, the data showed.

Small and micro enterprises were the most affected during the period, as the so-called “zero-zero loans,” or loans with no interest and no collateral, provided by private-sector and government-affiliated financial institutions to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic impact, were taken out.

The economic landscape is further complicated by the ongoing depreciation of the yen, amid soaring costs and growing labour shortages.

Teikoku predicted that on top of the lacklustre personal consumption, the number of corporate bankruptcies is expected to rise further, possibly exceeding 10,000 in 2024.

In June alone, a total of 807 Japanese companies began legal liquidation proceedings, marking the 26th consecutive month of year-on-year growth, the report said.