Latest Japan Headlines

All the headlines from our Japan Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Thousands Evacuated in Japan as Typhoon Man-Yi Brings Floods

Sep 16 2013 // Hundreds of thousands of people were advised or ordered to evacuate in Japan as Typhoon Man-Yi brought flooding, power blackouts and flight cancellations to the western and central parts of the country. At least one person...

High Radiation Spreads at Ruined Fukushima Plant

Sep 3 2013 // High radiation levels are spreading at the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator said on Monday, and the Japanese government prepared to offer more funding and oversight to try to contain the crisis. Japanese...

ING Sells South Korean Insurance Unit to Asian Buyout Firm MBK

Aug 26 2013 // ING Groep NV sold its South Korean insurance unit on its second attempt within a year, raising about 1.84 trillion won ($1.7 billion) from MBK Partners Ltd., the Asian buyout firm formed by ex-Carlyle Group executives. MBK...

U.S. Presses Japan to Open Insurance, Auto Markets

Aug 19 2013 // The United States urged Japan on Monday to open its auto and insurance markets more to foreign companies as the two countries pursue bilateral talks linked to a broader free-trade agreement that covers two-fifths of the...

Japanese Airline Finds Faulty Wiring on Dreamliner Fire Extinguishers

Aug 14 2013 // Japanese airline ANA Holdings said it had found an electrical wiring problem in the fire extinguishers of the engines of three of its Boeing Co Dreamliner jets. The problem was first discovered during pre-flight...

Greenberg’s C.V. Starr in Group Buying Tokyo Building for $1B

Aug 7 2013 // A group including former U.S. insurance magnate Maurice “Hank” Greenberg and an Abu Dhabi sovereign fund have agreed to buy a prominent Tokyo office building for $1 billion, the biggest property deal in Japan...

Tokio Marine Targets Asean for Expansion Abroad: Southeast Asia

Jul 29 2013 // Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., Japan’s second-largest non-life insurer, is seeking to expand in Southeast Asia as Japan’s shrinking population erodes its domestic market. The insurer plans to expand in life...

U.S.-Led Trade Talks Gain Heft, Complexity, as Japan Joins

Jul 24 2013 // Japan joined U.S.-led trade talks on Tuesday, adding its weight to a pact that covers two-fifths of the world economy but raising further doubt over whether negotiators can prise open sensitive sectors such as farm goods...

Security Analysts Warn About Terrorism Risk After Fukushima Meltdown

Jul 2 2013 // Japan’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, whose 2011 meltdowns dislocated 160,000 people, may provide a new blueprint for terrorists seeking to inflict mass disruption, security analysts said at a United Nations...

Best Affirms Mitsui Sumitomo’s U.S. Subs Ratings; Upgrades Aioi Nissay U.S.

Jun 3 2013 // In conjunction with its affirmation of the parent company, A.M. Best Co. has also affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa” of...

Best Affirms Mitsui Sumitomo Ratings; Upgrades Aioi Nissay Dowa

Jun 3 2013 // A.M. Best Asia-Pacific Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “aa” of Japan’s Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company...

China to Study Possibility of Joining U.S-Led Trade Talks

Jun 3 2013 // China will study the possibility of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, signaling its openness to the U.S.-led trade pact. “We will analyze the pros and...

Tokyo Prepares for a 1-in-200-Year Flood to Top Sandy

Jun 3 2013 // Tokyo, the world’s most populated metropolis, is building defenses for the possibility of a flood in the next 200 years that could dwarf the damage superstorm Sandy wrought on the U.S. East Coast. Japan’s...

Insurers, Banks Leveraging Trade Talks to Change Dodd-Frank

May 23 2013 // U.S. bankers and insurers are trying to use trade deals, which can trump existing legislation, to weaken parts of the Dodd-Frank Act designed to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis. While the companies say they...

Commentary: Accounting for Non-Modeled Sources of Loss

May 23 2013 // The purpose of modeling is to anticipate the likelihood and severity of catastrophes so that companies can prepare for their financial impact — before they occur. The evidence suggests that, for the most part,...

Abe Faces Uphill Task in Boosting Foreign Investment in Japan

May 20 2013 // Japan risks missing, yet again, an opportunity to use foreign investment to help fuel sustained economic growth that has eluded it for the last two decades. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to make Japan “the...

Japan Nuclear Agency Halts Test Reactor Over Safety

May 16 2013 // Japan’s nuclear watchdog announced Wednesday that the nation’s trouble-plagued next-generation test reactor will not be allowed to restart due to safety violations, dealing a setback to the country’s...

Willis North America Appoints Japan Global Practice Group Co-Leaders

May 13 2013 // Willis North America has named Brian Murphy and Hiromoto Ushiki as North American Practice co-leaders of the Japan Global Practice Group. Murphy and Ushiki assume the position previously held by Junji Hamada who retired in...

RIMS Conference in LA Risks No Loss of Subject Matter

May 6 2013 // Renewal of the Terrorism and Risk Insurance Act was a much talked about topic at the annual Risk and Insurance Management Society conference, a four-day event in Los Angeles, Calif. in late April that included panels...

First Confirmed Japanese Tsunami Debris in California

Apr 29 2013 // A barnacle-covered fishing boat that washed ashore this month in Crescent City, California, has been confirmed as the first debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan to reach California’s shores. The National Oceanic...