On August 5th, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group suffered their biggest drop in stock prices in history, and Japan's banking stocks fell sharply due to the stock market crash. At the close today, the stock price of Japan's largest bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, fell 18%, while Mizuho Bank fell 20% and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group fell nearly 16%, also reaching a historic low. The market value of these three companies has lost about 12 trillion yen ($85 billion) in the past two trading days. The sharp drop in Japanese bank stocks highlights how sensitive they are to fluctuations in interest rate prospects. The sharp drop in bank stocks highlights the challenge faced by the Bank of Japan in trying to normalize monetary policy.