後継難倒産、過去最多　４６６件、深刻化―帝国データ

　帝国データバンクが１９日公表した調査結果によると、２０２１年に後継者不在が理由の倒産が前年比３．１％増の４６６件に上った。調査開始の１３年以降で最多となり、後継者難問題は深刻さを増している。
　業種別の後継者難倒産の割合は、製造業が１２．６％と最も高く、件数は２割増の８３件だった。工場や設備への投資負担が大きいことに加え、新型コロナウイルスによる業績低迷で資金繰りが一段と厳しくなった。次いで建設業が９．９％で、件数は３．９％増の１０６件と最多。建設業許可の取得や更新に一定の年数を要することなどが原因という。（2022/01/19-19:15）

The number of firms that shut down as owners could not find successors hit a record high in Japan last year, according to a survey report by Teikoku Databank Ltd.
   The figure rose 3.1 pct from the previous year to 466, the highest since the survey started in 2013, the private credit research firm said in the report released on Wednesday.
   By sector, manufacturers logged the highest proportion of cases involving lack of successors among all bankruptcies, at 12.6 pct, with the number of such cases rising about 20 pct to 83. In addition to the burden of investments in factories and other facilities, funding problems stemming from sluggish business performances amid the COVID-19 pandemic weighed heavily on manufacturers.
   The construction industry registered the second highest proportion, at 9.9 pct, and saw the number of successor problem-linked bankruptcies increase 3.9 pct to 106, the highest among all sectors. The high figures reflected the fact that it takes a certain number of years to acquire or renew construction business licenses.
   The problem of business owners facing difficulty in securing successors is expected to become more serious toward 2025, when Japan's "dankai" first baby boomers reach the age of 75 or older.