In a statement by General Insurance Association of Japan Chairman Shinichiro Funabiki said, “In the past year, violent storms and episodes of intense localized rainfall occurred frequently throughout the country.
“Even during the current fiscal year, a succession of large-scale earthquakes has occurred, all of which demonstrates that the threat of natural disasters shows no signs of abating and continues to imperil the daily lives of citizens.”
“Against this backdrop, the general insurance industry remains committed to providing prompt and appropriate insurance claim payments to those affected, while continuing to focus on initiatives to further raise awareness of the importance of risk preparedness.”
The statement said, “The environment surrounding our country is now at a historic turning point. In April, the closing price of the Nikkei Stock Average surpassed the JPY60,000 ($374.5) mark for the first time in history, signalling that the capital markets have entered a new phase.”
“At the same time, rising energy prices driven by escalating tensions in the Middle East, supply chain disruptions, and persistently high prices continue to weigh on people's lives and corporate management. As societal uncertainty increases, the social mission of our industry as the bearer of risk has never been greater.”
Reaffirming the insurers’ mission, the GIAJ statement said it will continue to contribute to the stability of people's lives and the development of the national economy, we will continue to advance initiatives that support Japan's growth, including through the provision of products and services that help drive economic expansion.
Main initiatives
Enumerating the GIAJ initiatives over the past year, Chairman Mr Funabiki said the general insurers remain committed to restore the trust of our customers and society, we have focused on the “thorough implementation of customer-centric business operations” and the “realisation of a sound competitive environment” as our highest priorities.
He said the insurers have also steadily progressed on the priority goals of the 10th Medium-Term Master Plan: “Developing business infrastructure to support growth of the general insurance industry”, “Strengthening the resilience of society and the insurance system”, and “Promoting understanding of risk management to consumers and businesses”.
In addition, they have initiated various measures in preparation for the enforcement of the revised Insurance Business Act.
Restoring the trust of customers and society
Mr Funabiki said with the “thorough implementation of customer-centric business operations” and the “realisation of a sound competitive environment” as our top priorities, we have advanced our activities with the former centred on “initiatives to improve the quality of insurance agency solicitation” and the latter focused on “initiatives to enhance risk management awareness within companies”.
To enhance risk management awareness
GIAJ has also undertaken several initiatives to build an environment in which insurance companies break away from outdated industry practices and compete on the basis of the products and services that reflect the true value of insurance, with the aim of realising a sound competitive environment in the corporate insurance market.
In addition, the Association worked to strengthen risk management awareness within companies so that they can select insurance products and services aligned with their own risk management policies.
The Association is also planning to launch a “Risk Management Talent Development Course” (tentative name) to cultivate professionals responsible for advancing corporate risk management. With these initiatives, the GIAJ is working to promote understanding of the importance of risk management and support its practical application.
Activities based on revised supervisory guidelines
The revised Insurance Business Act, enacted in May 2025, came into effect on 1 June 2026 1st of this year. It incorporates provisions such as “System Development for Specific Large-Scale Multi Representative General Insurance Agencies”, “System Development at Insurance Companies, etc. ”, and “Expanding the Scope of the Prohibition on the Provision of Special Benefits”.
GIAJ said, “Each general insurance company will once again reaffirm the background and intent of these amendments and steadily advance initiatives to restore trust.
The “Compliance Guide for Solicitation” was revised and completed in April this year to reflect the revised Insurance Business Act, as well as the amendments to the “Insurance Business Act Enforcement Regulations” and the “Comprehensive Guidelines for Supervision of Insurance Companies”.
These revisions include the addition of pages explaining forthcoming amendments to provisions on “System Development for Specific Large-Scale Multi-Representative General Insurance Agencies” and regulations on comparative recommendation sales.
Furthermore, to ensure the effectiveness of each trust-restoration initiative and to raise the standard of efforts across the industry as a whole, GIAJ conducted a fourth follow-up survey on guidelines and related matters among member companies in May 2026. This survey confirmed that member companies are steadily progressing in their respective initiatives. GIAJ said it will continue to advance efforts aimed at further enhancing effectiveness in restoring trust.
More consumer-focused initiatives
GIAJ said as part of enhancing its customer awareness initiatives, the Association conducted its first survey on awareness of flood damage risks and flood damage coverage among fire insurance policyholders in October 2025 and published the results in December.
It has also added useful information on building maintenance to the “Sonpo (General Insurance) Digital My Timeline”, a tool for families to plan disaster evacuation actions, as part of its hazard map dissemination efforts.
Regarding earthquake insurance, GIAJ said it conducted public relations activities and participated in sessions at “Bosai Kokutai (National Conference for Promoting Disaster Risk Reduction) 2025” in September 2025 and also conducted risk awareness activities mainly by the association's regional branches.
For business-oriented initiatives, GIAJ has advanced activities in cooperation with government agencies. These include promoting the use of general insurance among businesses, encouraging the formulation of business continuity plans (BCPs), and efforts to raise awareness of the importance of cyber risk management, as countermeasures against large-scale disasters and other events that could have a serious impact on regional economies.
Addressing other issues
Chairman’s statement also elaborated on several other issues that the GIAJ has tried to sort out and bring better clarity for the insurers and ensure better compliance.
Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance Investment Income Contribution Programme. For fiscal year 2026, the association approved support totalling JPY1,860.11m for 56 projects, including 12 new ones like the donation of life-saving emergency medical equipment.
Support for emerging markets
As part of GIAJ insurance technology cooperation and exchange program for countries and regions in East Asia, the Insurance School (Non-life) of Japan (ISJ), which has been held since 1972, conducted its General Course in November and December of last year.
Furthermore, GIAJ and the Life Insurance Association of Japan will co-host the “31st East Asian Insurance Congress (EAIC) Tokyo Conference” in September 2026. The conference will feature keynote speeches and panel discussions on common challenges facing countries and regions in East Asia, including sustainability, financial regulation, aging societies,
AI and digital transformation, natural disasters, healthcare, and human resource development.
GIAJ further said, “We will also focus on seminars that will deepen participants' knowledge and understanding of “life planning and risk management”, “social security systems”, and “private insurance”. The programmes will include keynote lectures by university faculty and classroom practice reports by home economics, social studies, and civics teachers, as well as small-group information exchange sessions. The seminars will be held in a hybrid format—both in-person and online via Zoom—enabling participation from anywhere in the country.
Mr Funabiki said, “Since assuming the role of GIAJ Chairman in June of last year, I have worked in unity with our member companies, with the “thorough implementation of customer-centric business operations” and the “realization of a sound competitive environment” as our highest priorities, striving to restore the trust of our customers and society.
“This year, with the revised Insurance Business Act now in force, the general insurance industry is truly at a major turning point at which the very structure of the industry is changing. In an era of heightened uncertainty, it is essential that we respond swiftly to diverse environmental changes and that our industry functions fully as infrastructure that supports the resilience of society as a whole.”
He said, “On behalf of the GIAJ, I would like to extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to everyone for the warm support and cooperation throughout this past year. We look forward to your continued understanding and cooperation with the general insurance industry and our association.”