The first batch of Indian nursing care workers trained under a joint programme by Sompo Care and India's National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has begun working in Japan to ease its skilled manpower shortage.
Japanese non-life insurance groups are expected to maintain favourable underwriting results both in Japan and overseas markets in the financial year ending March 2026, while the growth in earnings is likely to slow as sales of strategic shareholdings decline according to a non-rating action commentary by Fitch Ratings.
Japan's total fertility rate in 2024 fell to a record low of 1.15. It is much below 2.1, the rate required to keep the population stable. In 2023 it was recorded as 1.20 according to a report by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in June 2025.
General Insurance Association of Japan (GIAJ) chairman Mr Hiroaki Shirota has cited several measures that the trade body has taken over the past year or will be taking to improve the industry's operating environment.
Japan will set a goal of reducing an estimated life toll of up to 298,000 deaths from a potential megaquake occurring in the Nankai Trough by around 80% over the next 10 years according to a report by Kyodo News.
Japanese life insurers' credit fundamentals are expected to remain robust in the financial year ending March 2026 (FYE2026), says Fitch Ratings.
With an average of over 3m tourists visiting the country every month in 2024, Japan has proposed some major changes to entry rules, including mandatory health insurance for all international tourists.
Japanese insurance group, Dai-ichi Life Holdings, has signed an agreement with global business and technology transformation company Capgemini to establish an international digital transformation centre in India.
Japanese life insurer Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company's plan to acquire a 15% stake in UK-based M&G plc is likely to enhance the life insurer's global diversification and international investment capability according to Fitch Ratings.
Japan's four major rated life insurers - Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company and Nippon Life Insurance Company - have reported in their results for financial year 2024 ending 31 March 2025 that the unrealised losses on domestic bonds on an aggregated basis were more than four times higher at fiscal 2024 year-end than a year earlier.