S/ Shiroma Shota, Nippon TV Reporter / Near the bank's ATMs, there is a spacious coffee shop lounge where people can gather.

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation will open a lounge and shared office space at its branch in Tokyo's Shibuya area on May 27.

The renovated branch has cubicles set up in an area that previously housed safe deposit boxes.

Visitors can come for normal banking operations such as opening accounts and seeking asset management consultation.

But the new features are aimed at luring more customers.

Major Japanese banks are trying to come up with new attractions as the number of people who come to branches are declining amid the spread of cashless payment systems and online banking.