Why does the branch matter for Japanese banks?

I had multiple encounters now with Japanese banks that had me wonder why the branch you opened your account with matters.

I had to cancel a wire transfer a few days after it was completed and get the money back. Went into the branch closest to my office (not where I opened my account) and instead of just looking up the transaction history, they had to call the branch I opened the account with to get the info and have it faxed to them. It’s the same bank. Shouldn’t they all have access to the same information about the customers?

Second instance was when I had to close my bank account. Couldn’t do it at a random branch but had to go back to the branch I opened the account at.

I don’t want to turn this into a rant about Japanese banks but I’m really trying to understand the reason behind this.

Thanks in advance.