JAPAN

Bankruptcy Debt Sets Record: Dismal business conditions led to a record amount of debt at companies that went bankrupt in July, Tokyo Commerce & Industry Research Co. said. It said the $5.44 billion in debt was 8.7% higher than the old record, set in July last year. Many of the bankruptcies involved soured stock and real estate investments made in a late-1980s boom. “The growth rate in debt amount slowed a bit, but overall bankruptcies haven’t slowed at all,” an analyst at the research company said.