Japanese market News

Coronvirus Discrimination and Bullying Hinders Battle Against Pandemic in Japan

The coronavirus in Japan has brought not just an epidemic of infections, but also an onslaught of bullying and discrimination against the sick, their families and health workers. A government campaign to raise awareness seems to be helping, at least …

Many Japan Firms Resist Telecommuting, Raising COVID-19 Risk for Call Center Staff

Almost a month after Tokyo declared a state of emergency, dozens of call center employees for telecom KDDI Corp still commute into their crowded office, where the fear of coronavirus infection has taken a back seat to data security. Call …

Typhoon Hagibis Likely to Cause Earnings Event for Japan’s Insurers: Fitch

Typhoon Hagibis is likely to be an earnings event for Japan’s three main non-life insurance groups, MS&AD Insurance Groups Holdings, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. (TMNF), with no material effects on capital and …

Private Equity Firm JC Flowers Kept Stake in Japan’s Shinsei Bank Too Long: Opinion

Japan’s banking sector has become a dead zone for private equity. Yet even then, the latest attempt by J. Christopher Flowers to sell Shinsei Bank Ltd. seems like a zombie franchise that has run a few episodes too long. Flowers …

Japan Post’s Share Sale Could Be Delayed by Scandal at Insurance Unit

The government’s plan to sell over $10 billion worth of shares in Japan Post Holdings Co. has been clouded by a scandal at its insurance unit. The subsidiary, Japan Post Insurance Co., is voluntarily refraining from active product sales amid …

Japan Insurers to Invest in Riskier Non-Government Bonds, Seeking Higher Returns

As bond yields evaporate globally, many Japanese insurers are looking to secure higher returns at home and abroad by diversifying into riskier corporate and other non-government bonds in the financial year that began this month. Officials at Japan’s top 10 …

Nippon Life Agrees to Buy 85% Stake in MassMutual’s Japan Unit for $980M

Nippon Life Insurance Co said on Friday it had agreed to buy an 85 percent stake in the domestic unit of U.S.-based MassMutual Financial Group for about 104.2 billion yen ($980 million) as it aims to boost its bancassurance sales. …

AIR Worldwide Introduces Inland Flood Model for Japan

Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide has introduced a new inland flood model for Japan along with enhancements to its Japan typhoon model. These models are part of Version 5.1 of AIR’s catastrophe modeling software platform, Touchstone. The AIR Inland Flood …

Nippon Life Eyes Buying MassMutual Japan Unit for Bancassurance Sales: Sources

Japan’s biggest private-sector life insurer, Nippon Life Insurance Co., is in talks to buy a majority stake in the domestic unit of U.S.-based MassMutual Financial Group in an attempt to boost its bancassurance sales, two sources said. Bancassurance, in which …

China’s Ping An to Invest $100M a Year in Japan in Diversification Bid

Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. plans to invest $100 million a year in Japanese companies as it seeks to diversify its investments outside of China. China’s second-largest insurer will put money with private equity funds that invest in sectors including …