Commitment to Risk Management

Progress in financial deregulation and internationalization has led to growth in the diversity and complexity of banking operations, exposing financial institutions to various risks, including credit, market operations, information technology, legal, settlement and other risks. We recognize the conducting of operations tailored to the risks and managing such risks as a key issue relating to overall management. In order to implement our business strategy while maintaining our financial stability, we maintain comprehensive risk management and control measures.

MHFG maintains basic policies for risk management established by its board of directors that are applicable to the entire group. These policies clearly define the kinds of risks to be managed, set forth the organizational structure and provide for the human resources training necessary for appropriate levels of risk management. The policies also provide for audits to measure the effectiveness and suitability of the risk management structure. In line with these basic policies, we maintain various measures to strengthen and enhance the sophistication of our risk management system.

Each of our subsidiaries adopts appropriate risk management measures for its business based on the size and nature of its risk exposures, while MHFG controls risk management for the group as a whole. MHFG regularly receives reports and applications concerning the risk management situation from our principal banking subsidiaries and other core group companies and gives them appropriate instructions concerning risk management. Our principal banking subsidiaries and other core group companies each maintains its own system for managing various types of risk, regularly receiving reports on the status of risk at their respective subsidiaries, and gives them appropriate instructions concerning risk management.

Risk Management Structure

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The BIS Regulations, the regulations for international standards of the health of banks first implemented in 1992, have been revised in light of developments in risk management methods in order to better reflect the actual substance of the risks. These amended regulations, known as "Basel II," focus on three main points. The first is minimum capital requirements relating to risk which should be maintained by banks, with respect to which the calculation method for credit risk was changed and operational risk was added. The second includes a supervisory review process with respect to assessment of risks that cannot be fully addressed through minimum capital requirements alone. The third is market discipline allowing for assessment by the market through appropriate disclosure. We have obtained the necessary approvals from government authorities on calculation methods for each type of risk and have been calculating capital adequacy ratios based on Basel II from March 31, 2007, when the Basel II was implemented in Japan. With regard to credit risk, we have been applying the Advanced Internal Ratings-Based Approach, the most sophisticated of the three methods provided for by Basel II, from March 31, 2009. In addition, we have been applying the Advanced Measurement Approach for the calculation of operational risk from September 30, 2009. Since the rules text of "Basel III" was published in December, 2010, we have been preparing for its phased-in implementation.