This story was first published on 17th October 2008
Outline:
Email claims that several Japanese banks, including the “Origami Bank”, the “Sumo Bank” and the “Bonsai Bank” are experiencing major difficulties due to the US sub-prime lending crisis.
Status:
Just a joke
Update on Banking crisis… news from Japan
Following the problems in the sub-prime lending market in America and the run on HBOS in the UK, uncertainty has now hit Japan.In the last 7 hours Origami Bank has folded, Sumo Bank has gone belly up and Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today shares in Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived.Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cutbacks, Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.
Detailed Analysis:
Most readers will immediately realise that the above emailed “news” item is intended solely to amuse. In a clever play on words, the unidentified author of the piece laments the worsening status of several (entirely fictitious) Japanese banks as a result of the current world economic crisis flowing on from the US subprime lending disaster.
Surprisingly, however, several people have emailed me to ask if the information in the message is true, hence its inclusion on these pages.
Presumably, those who are not familiar with the meanings of the words used as bank names in the message are those that do not “get” the joke.
If you are one of the people scratching their heads trying to see the funny side, here are a couple of hints. “Origami” is the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, so saying that the “Origami Bank” has FOLDED, is an amusing play on words. Japanese Sumo wrestlers are characterised by their very large bellies, hence the reference to the “Sumo Bank” going BELLY UP. All the other bank names have similar double meanings.
A dictionary or some quick googling should help with the rest of the “bank names”. 
Importance Notice
After considerable thought and with an ache in my heart, I have decided that the time has come to close down the Hoax-Slayer website.These days, the site does not generate enough revenue to cover expenses, and I do not have the financial resources to sustain it going forward.
Moreover, I now work long hours in a full-time and physically taxing job, so maintaining and managing the website and publishing new material has become difficult for me.
And finally, after 18 years of writing about scams and hoaxes, I feel that it is time for me to take my fingers off the keyboard and focus on other projects and pastimes.
When I first started Hoax-Slayer, I never dreamed that I would still be working on the project all these years later or that it would become such an important part of my life. It's been a fantastic and engaging experience and one that I will always treasure.
I hope that my work over the years has helped to make the Internet a little safer and thwarted the activities of at least a few scammers and malicious pranksters.
A Big Thank You
I would also like to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported the project by sharing information from the site, contributing examples of scams and hoaxes, offering suggestions, donating funds, or helping behind the scenes.I would especially like to thank David White for his tireless contribution to the Hoax-Slayer Facebook Page over many years. David's support has been invaluable, and I can not thank him enough.
Closing Date
Hoax-Slayer will still be around for a few weeks while I wind things down. The site will go offline on May 31, 2021. While I will not be publishing any new posts, you can still access existing material on the site until the date of closure.Thank you, one and all!
Brett Christensen,
Hoax-Slayer
