Mizuho Bank revealed that it found out in 2019 that its employee at the time had stolen tens of millions of yen in two customers' assets kept in safe deposit boxes.

The megabank immediately dismissed the employee who was involved in the theft after the incident came to light.

At the time, the bank reported the case to the Financial Services Agency and took measures to prevent recurrence, such as reviewing internal procedures for safe deposit boxes.

Mizuho Bank also confirmed that there had been no other similar incidents.

Mizuho Bank apologized for causing concern and said that it did not make the case public at the time due to consideration of its relationship with the affected customers.

The revelation comes after the arrest of a former MUFG Bank employee who had allegedly stolen assets from safe-deposit boxes.

Minister of State for Financial Services Kato Katsunobu said that the cases could raise concerns over safe deposit box services and trust in financial institutions.