Localized Failure ... ATMs and online banking at 128 Shinkin banks across western Japan, but operations in eastern Japan remain completely normal
Outage is strictly localized to a western regional data center malfunction, ruling out a cyberattack or global network issue.
Japan's Shinkin Joint Center Outage Halts ATMs, Counters at 128 Shinkin Banks in Western Japan
2026-11-06 01:05 (GMT-6)
finance.biggo.com
The Shinkin Joint Center said on November 6 that customer transactions — including ATMs, branch counters and internet banking — have been halted since around 1:30 p.m. at 128 shinkin banks west of the Tokai region.
The outage stems from a failure in communications equipment at the West Japan Center, disabling transactions at counters in 3,430 branches and also affecting some partner financial institution and convenience store ATMs and direct debits.
No unauthorized access has been detected, and equipment failure is suspected. The center said restoration may be difficult within the day, while shinkin banks in eastern Japan are operating normally.
Key Elements
Customer-facing transactions, including ATMs, branch counters and internet banking, have been unavailable at 128 shinkin banks in western Japan since around 1:30 p.m. on November 6 due to a system failure, the Shinkin Joint Center, which jointly operates the core systems of shinkin banks, said the same day.
According to the center, the failure is in communications equipment at the West Japan Center, which oversees shinkin banks in western Japan. All 128 shinkin banks located west of the Tokai region are affected, with ATM withdrawals and transfers, deposits and withdrawals at counters in 3,430 branches, and online transactions all suspended. There is no timetable for restoration, and the center said recovery within the day may be difficult.
In the Kinki region and Tokushima Prefecture, 27 shinkin banks affiliated with the center are affected.
Osaka City Shinkin Bank, Osaka Shinkin Bank, Nara Shinkin Bank and others are posting notices on their websites that counter services, ATMs and internet banking are unavailable due to the system failure.
The center described the cause as a communications failure and said no unauthorized access has been detected. Equipment malfunction is believed to be the cause, and the possibility of a cyberattack has been ruled out for now. The detailed cause is unknown, and the center is rushing restoration work, including attempting to restart the system. According to the Sankei Shimbun, the systems for shinkin banks in the western Japan region had just been updated in mid-October.
The Shinkin Joint System is used by 236 shinkin banks, more than 90% of all shinkin banks nationwide. This time, the failure occurred only at the western Japan center of the two centers split between east and west. Shinkin banks in eastern Japan are said to be conducting transactions as usual.
The center was established in April 2013 by integrating joint administrative centers in seven regions nationwide. Between 2010 and 2011, host computers were gradually consolidated into two locations, east and west, and the current two-center structure supports the core operations of member banks. There are 254 shinkin banks nationwide, of which 236 are members. NTT DATA serves as the IT partner.
Shinkin Joint CenterEast Japan CenterWest Japan Center: communications equipment failureShinkin banks in eastern Japan: normal128 shinkin banks in western Japan: transactions haltedATMs, counters at 3,430 branchesInternet bankingItem
Date and time of occurrence
Around 1:30 p.m. on November 6, 2026
Scope of impact
128 shinkin banks west of the Tokai region
Suspended transactions
ATMs, counters (3,430 branches), internet banking
Cause
Communications equipment failure at West Japan Center (no unauthorized access detected)
Restoration status
Work underway, including restart attempts; recovery within the day may be difficult
The impact extends beyond the banks' own ATMs. According to announcements by individual shinkin banks, at Seto Shinkin Bank, the bank's cash cards cannot be used at partner financial institution or convenience store ATMs, and some direct debits and automatic withdrawals are delayed or on hold.
Transaction Impact
ATMs
May be unavailable at the bank's own ATMs as well as partner financial institution and convenience store ATMs
Counters
Deposits, withdrawals and transfers halted at 3,430 branches
Internet banking
Online transactions and smartphone apps for individuals and corporate customers unavailable
Direct debits and automatic withdrawals
Delays or holds in some cases
Urgent transfers
Customers urged to use financial institutions other than shinkin banks or consult their branch
With the shared shinkin bank system, the structure in which shinkin banks nationwide share the same platform makes it easy for a failure at one location to ripple across a wide range of financial services. This time too, a malfunction in communications equipment on the western Japan side has simultaneously halted customer transactions at 128 banks, potentially disrupting fund settlements for local sole proprietors and small and medium-sized businesses.
The Shinkin Joint Center is working to determine the detailed cause of the failure and restore service, while rushing to provide information to affected shinkin banks. No spillover to the eastern Japan side has been confirmed, and the impact on the nationwide shinkin bank network as a whole is believed to be limited.
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