NEWSWORTHY
For Lifull president Takashi Inoue, emerging tech and a touch of altruism are key to success
Takashi Inoue wants to transform his company, Lifull Co., into a one-stop shop for important lifestyle goods and services, where customers don't just make purchases but are able to get information about what they are buying as well. Adding to Lifull's varied product offerings — ...
40% of Japan's health insurance societies seen posting losses in 2017; some may disband
Over 40 percent of the 1,394 health insurance societies set up for employees of large companies and their families are expected to report losses for fiscal 2017 ended March, sources said. In the previous year, the ratio was lower at 38.7 percent. As a whole, the ...
Dai-ichi Life Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it would buy Suncorp Life, an Australian life insurance unit of Suncorp Group, for 640 million Australian dollars ($460 million), the latest overseas expansion for a Japanese insurer grappling with a shrinking domestic market. Dai-ichi Life said in a ...
Insurers bolster dementia insurance offerings as Japan grays
Insurers are competing to offer dementia insurance products and related services as Japan’s population continues to rapidly gray.
Japan's health insurance system remains deficit-ridden despite reforms
The national health insurance program underwent a major reform at the start of fiscal 2018 that saw prefectures, rather than municipalities, begin managing the deficit-ridden system to improve its financial base. The program, called kokumin kenkō hoken in Japanese, covers the self-employed, pensioners, nonregular workers ...
Japan eyes expansion of corporate pension and insurance schemes to cover more part-timers
The government plans to allow more part-time workers to join the corporate pension and health insurance programs, hoping it will reinforce the financial base for Japan's overall pension and health insurance systems, sources said Monday. Currently, part-timers who put in at least 30 hours a ...
Travelers without insurance cause headaches for Japan's hospitals
Are you insured? As Japan sees a record-breaking number of foreign visitors, a major hospital near Narita airport is struggling to deal with an increasing number of uninsured patients who can't pay for the medical treatment they've received. "Most of the foreign visitors we treat are ...
Pet insurance market in Japan expanding with rise in life spans, veterinary bills
Just like people in Japan who continue to outlive people in other countries, their pets are developing longer life expectancies thanks to advances in medical science. But as owners increasingly worry about soaring medical bills, they are taking out private pet insurance to lessen the ...
Tokyo faces greatest risks to economic output of any global city, report says
Tokyo is the global city facing the highest risk to its annual economic output, due to its proximity to North Korea, according to an index compiled by the Lloyd's of London insurance market. New York ranks second in the risk index with nearly $15 billion ...
China takes over Anbang Insurance, prosecutes ex-boss for 'economic crimes'
China took over Anbang Insurance Group for a year on Friday and said its former chairman faces prosecution for "economic crimes," in the government's most drastic move yet to rein in politically connected companies whose splashy overseas investments have fueled fears of a financial ...
Triumphant in online retail, cloud computing, organic groceries and streaming television, Amazon founder and chief "disruptor" Jeff Bezos is turning his seemingly limitless ambition to health care. Amazon, which was launched as an internet bookseller nearly 24 years ago, has branched into offerings including voice-commanded ...
SoftBank Group Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son is warming to an industry that's long been a favorite of billionaires looking to diversify their business empires. SoftBank could purchase as much as a third of Swiss Re AG, one of the world's largest reinsurers, according to people ...
