Latest Japan Headlines
All the headlines from our Japan Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Japan Cabinet Approves Cap on Nuclear Reactor Lifespan
Feb 1 2012 // Japan’s Cabinet approved bills Tuesday aimed at bolstering nuclear safety regulations following last year’s Fukushima disaster, including one that would put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear...
Strong Quake Jolts Eastern Japan
Jan 30 2012 // A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 jolted eastern Japan on Saturday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The focus of the tremor was 20 km...
Japan’s Stricken Nuclear Operator to Get $13 Billion Bailout
Jan 27 2012 // Japan is set to launch a $13 billion bailout of the owner of its stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant after the utility dropped resistance to a public fund injection, sources said on Thursday, as the country debates the...
U.S. Nuclear Plants Need Better Safety Against Earthquakes, Floods: Panel
Jan 23 2012 // An expert task force convened by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission called Japan’s nuclear disaster “unacceptable” and concluded that nuclear power plants in the U.S. need better protections for rare,...
Accounting Firms Cleared of Blame in Japan’s Olympus Scandal
Jan 17 2012 // An unofficial panel of experts cleared global accounting groups KPMG and Ernst & Young of any responsibility for a $1.7 billion accounting fraud at Japan’s Olympus Corp, though the role of the firms remained...
AIA May Bid $6B for ING Asian Business
Jan 17 2012 // AIA Group Ltd, Asia’s No.3 insurer and about one-third owned by American International Group Inc., may bid for the $6 billion Asian insurance operations of ING Groep, sources said, with the prospective sale expected...
AXA, Japan Post Top Best’s List of World’s Largest Insurers
Jan 4 2012 // France’s AXA S.A. has again topped the list of the world’s 25 largest insurance companies, based on premiums written, compiled by A.M. Best. The lists, which were compiled both on asset value and on net...
Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Strikes off Japan Coast
Jan 3 2012 // A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 struck under the sea several hundred miles (kilometers) south of Japan on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital, but officials said there was no danger of a...
Guy Carpenter Analyzes 2011 Catastrophes; $108 Billion in Losses
Dec 30 2011 // Reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter has examined the past year’s natural catastrophes, which it describes as “an unusually eventful year for the (re)insurance sector.” In addition to the ongoing financial...
Ratings Recap: Evergreen Re, Asian Re, Toa Re, Meritz
Dec 27 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a” of Bermuda-based Evergreen Reinsurance Company, Ltd. (ERCL), both with stable outlooks....
Best Affirms Ratings of Sompo Japan and U.S. Subs; Outlook Stable
Dec 27 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of “aa-” of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. Best also, affirmed the FSR of...
Best Affirms NIPPONKOA’s ‘A’ Ratings; Outlook Stable
Dec 27 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a+” of Japan’s NIPPONKOA Insurance Company Ltd, both with stable outlooks. The ratings...
Tokio Marine to Buy Delphi Financial for $2.7 Billion
Dec 21 2011 // Tokio Marine said on Wednesday it will buy U.S. insurer Delphi Financial Group for $2.7 billion, the latest in a string of deals by Japan’s second-largest property-casualty insurer aimed at growing outside its mature...
Swiss Re Estimates 2011 Economic Cat Loss at $350 Bn; Insured Loss $108 Bn
Dec 15 2011 // Swiss Re describes 2011 as the “year with the highest catastrophe-related economic losses in history, at $350 billion.” It could have been the most costly year ever for the insurance industry, if Japan had been...
Panel Urges Legal Action in Damning Report on Japan’s Olympus
Dec 6 2011 // An independent panel urged legal action against executives who covered up a $1.7 billion accounting scandal at Japan’s Olympus Corp, and said others who knew about it should be replaced. But its findings failed to...
Fleet of Ferraris Ruined in Japan Sportscar Pileup
Dec 6 2011 // An outing of luxury sportscar enthusiasts in Japan ended in an expensive freeway pileup -smashing a stunning eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini and two Mercedes – likely worth more than $1 million together. Police say...
Insurers Bracing for Thai Flood Claims at More Than $10B
Dec 5 2011 // Insurers are bracing themselves for claims in excess of $10 billion after floods in Thailand disabled major foreign-owned manufacturing operations there, adding to an already record-breaking natural catastrophe bill this...
Thai Flood May Hit Asia Harder Than Japan Disaster: Official
Nov 29 2011 // The impact from Thailand floods on Asia’s production networks may last longer and be deeper than that from Japan’s March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, a senior Asian Development Bank official said on...
Chevron Takes Full Responsibility for Brazil Oil Spill
Nov 21 2011 // U.S. oil company Chevron will fully clean up a spill off Brazil’s coast, George Buck, the CEO of the local subsidiary said on Sunday, taking responsibility for an accident that has become a major test for one of the...
Insurers Bracing for Thai Flood Claims over $10 Billion
Nov 21 2011 // Insurers are bracing themselves for claims in excess of $10 billion after floods in Thailand disabled major foreign-owned manufacturing operations there, adding to an already record-breaking natural catastrophe bill this...
