This file photo shows the sign of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (Mainichi)

       TOKYO -- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.'s (SMBC) internet banking service for corporate customers malfunctioned on the night of Oct. 18, leaving customers temporarily unable to log in, the bank announced on the same day.

       According to SMBC, some customers could not log in to "PC Bank Web21," a service for corporate customers that allows them to make transfers and other transactions using their computers, since after 6 p.m. on Oct. 18. The system was reportedly restored about three hours later, at around 9 p.m. The cause and extent of the trouble are being investigated.

       SMBC issued a comment on its website saying, "We deeply apologize for the great deal of inconvenience caused (by this incident)."

       (Japanese original by Hironori Takechi, Business News Department)

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0