Which Japanese bank was formed by the merger of Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group and UFJ Holdings in 2005?

The Japanese bank formed by the 2005 merger was Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, or MUFG.

Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group and UFJ Holdings completed their merger on 1 October 2005, creating the holding company now known as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. The deal united two major Japanese financial groups during a period when banks were consolidating after years of economic stagnation and bad-loan problems.

The merger also reorganized important operating businesses. Mitsubishi Bank and UFJ Bank later combined on 1 January 2006 to create The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, which was renamed MUFG Bank in 2018. Trust-banking and securities subsidiaries likewise adopted Mitsubishi UFJ names as integration progressed.

The alternatives are separate Japanese financial groups, not predecessor names for MUFG. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group were major competitors, while Nomura Holdings is primarily associated with securities and investment banking. “Mitsubishi UFJ” identifies the post-merger group; “MUFG” is its widely used abbreviation.