■Mizuho deputy president ignored loans to yakuza elements for 2 years：
Although a Mizuho Bank deputy president was informed of loans being extended to gangsters in 2010, the bank did nothing for two years, The Asahi Shimbun learned from company insiders on Oct. 3.
The scandal shows there are likely deep-seated structural problems behind the issuing of loans to yakuza crime syndicate members at Mizuho, one of Japan's largest lenders, since the bank's compliance director also failed to act. It also reveals the company disregarded the importance of complying with governmental efforts to choke off money sources to criminal elements.