Individual Bankruptcy Filings Up for a Third Straight Year: 83,255 in 2025 (+8.9%)More people are filing for bankruptcy because they can't repay debts, for three years in a row
According to the Supreme Court's Courts Data Book 2026, district courts newly received 92,059 bankruptcy cases in 2025 (Reiwa 7), up 8.2% from 85,115 the year before. Of these, 83,255 were individuals (+8.9% year on year), the third consecutive annual increase since 2023. Individual rehabilitation cases also rose, to 11,415.
Key points
- District courts newly received 92,059 bankruptcy cases in 2025 (85,115 in 2024). Individuals accounted for 83,255 (76,454 in 2024), about 90% of the total
- Individual bankruptcies rose for three straight years from 64,982 in 2022: 70,745 in 2023, 76,454 in 2024 and 83,255 in 2025
- Non-individual cases (total minus individuals) were 8,804 in 2025, up slightly from 8,661 the year before
- Individual rehabilitation cases were 11,415 in 2025 (10,524 in 2024), less than half of 24,052 in 2008, the highest year in the table
- Individual bankruptcies peaked at 242,849 in 2003; the 2025 figure is about one third of that
What to do in practice
- Keep the upward trend in mind when reviewing customers' payment status and credit limits
- If there is a counterparty whose payments may become difficult to collect, consult a professional (lawyer, tax accountant, etc.) early
When someone can no longer repay money they borrowed, they can ask a court for "bankruptcy". According to the courts, individuals filed 83,255 cases in 2025, about 9% more than the year before. It has gone up three years in a row.
Points
- In 2025, courts received 92,059 bankruptcy filings, including companies
- About 9 out of 10 of them were filed by individuals, not companies
- The highest year was 2003, with over 240,000. Today it is about one third of that
What the words mean
- Bankruptcy
- A court procedure for sorting out debts a person or company can no longer repay
- Individual rehabilitation
- A procedure that lets a person keep, for example, their home while the debt is reduced and repaid little by little
- Supreme Court of Japan: Supreme Court of Japan: Courts Data Book 2026 (trends in bankruptcy and civil rehabilitation cases)
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