Fukoku Life Insurance may increase its purchases of Japanese super-long bonds just as the nation’s debt market trembled this week ahead of Upper House election.

The insurer has raised its local bond purchase target for the current fiscal year to several hundred billion yen from the initially planned ¥30 billion and is focusing on Japanese government debt to capitalize on higher super-long-term interest rates.

This plan comes as the 20-year and the 30-year yields rose to their highest since 1999 earlier this week amid concerns that a defeat for the ruling coalition on July 20 may lead to looser fiscal policy. The benchmark 10-year yield hit its highest in more than a decade.

"We have been steadily purchasing bonds since April, with a particular focus on buying when interest rates rose in May,” said Junya Morizane, general manager of investment planning department in an interview on Thursday.

Media polls suggest that the ruling party is in danger of losing its majority. To entice voters, opposition parties are pushing an expensive plan to cut the sales tax.

The company says it is currently taking a wait-and-see approach ahead of the vote yet says it will continue to "significantly reduce its foreign bond position and shift it entirely to yen bonds,” Morizane said.

Life insurance companies have been cautious about investing in super-long-term bonds beyond the statutory requirement to comply with rules that took effect this fiscal year. Fukoku Life is an exception, as its investment policy during the time of Japan’s sub-zero interest policy, which ended last year, left a gap in its books.

"We refrained from purchasing under the ultra-low interest rate environment, so the duration on the asset side is significantly shorter, and we still have room to buy,” Morizane said.

The possibility of higher rates does not pose any immediate risk to Fukoku’s existing bond portfolio, he said.

As of the end of the 2024 fiscal year, the company’s duration was 15.9 years for liabilities and 9.6 years for assets, resulting in a gap of 6.3 years.

Accounting standards stipulate that when the market value of a bond holding falls below 50% of the acquisition price and there is no prospect of recovery, the valuation difference must be recorded as a loss.

"We are still some way off from impairment, and do not view this as an urgent issue,” said Morizane.