Latest Japan Headlines
All the headlines from our Japan Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Typhoon Neoguri Approaches Kyushu: AIR Analysis
Jul 10 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri, the strongest typhoon so far in the 2014 Western Pacific season, is slowly closing in on the west coast of Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan’s...
Typhoon Neoguri Lashes Okinawa; Heads for Kyushu: AIR Report
Jul 9 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri made its closest approach to Japan’s southern Okinawa islands last night, lashing the islands with torrential rain and strong winds. The storm...
Typhoon Neoguri to Skirt Okinawa; Nears Kyushu Landfall: AIR Analysis
Jul 8 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at about 6:30 am local time today, Typhoon Neoguri—the strongest typhoon to date in 2014—is “roaring toward Japan with sustained winds of 180 km/hr [112 mph]...
Typhoon Neoguri Strengthens; Heads towards Okinawa, Japan
Jul 7 2014 // Typhoon Neoguri is currently roiling the waters of the Western Pacific, south of Okinawa. The latest weather reports indicate that it is an immense storm and is gaining strength with sustained winds of 140 mph [225...
Japan’s MS&AD Planning on Insurance Acquisitions for Growth in Southeast Asia
Jun 24 2014 // MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest non-life insurer, will seek acquisitions in Southeast Asia to expand its overseas business, said President and Chief Executive Officer Yasuyoshi...
Cat Bond Buyers Listening to Storm Forecasters, Not Buffett
Jun 16 2014 // Bond buyers are betting more than ever on the mercy of Mother Nature as they seek to boost yields being suppressed by central banks. Demand for notes linked to insurance against hurricanes and other natural disasters is...
Ratings Roundup: Toa Re, GeoVera, Argus Group
Jun 13 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings of “aa-” of The Toa Reinsurance Company Limited, based in Japan, and its subsidiary, The Toa...
Active Season for West Pacific: AccuWeather 2014 Typhoon Forecast
Jun 12 2014 // The AccuWeather Global Weather Center has issued a forecast for the 2014 West Pacific typhoon season, which anticipates “near-normal numbers.” The forecast also noted, however, that “the onset of El Niño...
Ratings Recap: Frankenmuth, Sooner, Tokio Marine America, Kingstone, Canopius U.S., HDI-Gerling America
May 28 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, Ansur America Insurance Company,...
Tsunami Debris Skiff Found On Washington Coast
May 23 2014 // More than three years after the tsunami hit Japan, evidence of the disaster continues to haunt the West Coast where residents know they also are vulnerable. A skiff that was once used by someone near Sendai washed ashore...
Report Cites Crops Most Vulnerable to El Nino
May 16 2014 // The El Nino weather phenomenon that is likely to strike this year will damage world maize, rice and wheat yields but boost soybeans, according to a study on Thursday that could help farmers plan what to grow. The...
RRJ, Temasek to Invest $1.8 Billion in ING Insurance Unit
May 1 2014 // RRJ Capital Ltd., run by Charles Ong, and his former employer Temasek Holdings Pte, have agreed to invest €1.28 billion ($1.8 billion) in ING Groep NV’s NN insurance business before the unit’s initial public...
Hartford to Sell Japan Operation to Orix in $895 Million Deal
Apr 28 2014 // Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. agreed to sell its Japanese operation to Orix Corp. as Chief Executive Officer Liam McGee narrows the U.S. insurer’s focus. Orix will pay about $895 million for the business,...
Divers Continue Search as South Korea Ferry Probe Turns to Cargo
Apr 24 2014 // Divers retrieved more bodies from a South Korean ferry that sank last week, as investigators turned their attention to whether the vessel had been carrying more cargo than it was designed to hold. The official death toll...
Sompo Japan, Nipponkoa Looking for Growth beyond Traditional Assets
Apr 17 2014 // Sompo Japan Insurance and Nipponkoa Insurance are already acting as one entity ahead of their merger in September. They’ve announced plans to invest “tens of billions of yen” in new areas such as energy,...
Auto Recalls On Rise Following Toyota-GM Cases
Apr 10 2014 // Recall first, ask questions later. After Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. — two of the largest carmakers — were criticized for dragging their feet before calling back defective models in recent years,...
IMF Sees Global Growth Gaining Along with Rising Risks in Emerging Economies
Apr 8 2014 // The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday predicted the global recovery would strengthen this year as output in richer nations picked up, but it warned of rising risks in emerging economies. In its latest global economic...
Scientists Warn: Prepare Now for Next Nuclear Plant Accident
Apr 6 2014 // Three major atomic accidents in 35 years are forcing the world’s nuclear industry to stop imagining it can prevent more catastrophes and to focus instead on how to contain them. Of the 176 new reactors planned across...
IPCC Japan Meeting Aims for ‘Comprehensive Assessment’ on Climate Change
Mar 25 2014 // The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced that government representatives and scientists opened a five-day meeting today, which aims to “finalize a report assessing the impacts of climate change...
Ratings Roundup: AIG Asia-Pacific, Fuji Fire/AIU
Feb 21 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of Singapore-based AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd. (AIG APAC) and its fully-owned...
