西川善文氏死去　住友・さくら銀合併を主導―日本郵政社長も歴任・８２歳

　三井住友銀行頭取や日本郵政社長を歴任し、「最後のバンカー」と呼ばれた西川善文（にしかわ・よしふみ）氏が１１日、死去した。８２歳だった。奈良県出身。葬儀は近親者のみで行う。
　１９９７年に住友銀行頭取に就任。強力なリーダーシップで不良債権処理を進める一方、三井グループのさくら銀行との合併を主導し、旧財閥の壁を越えた金融再編を実現した。２００１年に三井住友銀行の初代頭取となり、翌年から０５年６月に退任するまで三井住友フィナンシャルグループ社長を兼任した。住銀時代を含め、全国銀行協会の会長を２度務めた。
　こうした実績を買われ、民営化で０７年１０月に発足した日本郵政の初代社長に就任。早期の株式上場を目指し、関係法人の整理や収益力の強化に取り組んだ。しかし、保養・宿泊施設「かんぽの宿」売却をめぐる経緯が不透明だと批判を浴び、政権交代で郵政民営化路線も見直されて、０９年１０月に辞任に追い込まれた。（2020/09/12-01:27）

Former Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. President Yoshifumi Nishikawa, who led the creation of the Japanese megabank group, died at age 82 on Friday.
   Nishikawa, who also served as president of Japan Post Holdings Co. , earned the nickname Japan's "last banker" for his strong presence during the financial industry's bad loan crisis that followed the collapse of an asset bubble in the early 1990s.
   Nishikawa became president of Sumitomo Bank in 1997, when big financial institutions including Yamaichi Securities Co. and Hokkaido Takushoku Bank went bankrupt in the midst of the financial crisis.
   He powerfully implemented bad loan write-offs at his bank while leading a merger between Sumitomo Bank and Sakura Bank in 2001. The deal stunned many because it was a union of key members of the rivaling Sumitomo and Mitsui zaibatsu conglomerates.
   Nishikawa decided on the deal just after the announcement of a merger plan among Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank, Fuji Bank and Industrial Bank of Japan to create the country's first megabank group, now led by Mizuho Financial Group Inc. .