Japan News

Japan Quake/Tsunami Loss Estimates Continue to Hit Insurers’ Shares

Investors sold insurance shares Monday in fear of how high the total losses from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami will go, though it will take weeks to determine how much was actually lost. At least one set of experts pegged the …

All Eyes on Reactor Vessel as Japanese Nuclear Crisis Worsens

Fears of a nuclear disaster in Japan heightened on Tuesday after radiation levels around its quake-stricken power plant soared following two separate explosions at the complex. Many of the worrying milestones mapped out by experts have now been passed, with …

Arch Estimates NZ Quake Loss at $35-$70 Million; Assessing Japan

The Bermuda-based Arch Capital Group announced that the Company’s 2011 first quarter results will be negatively impacted by the New Zealand earthquake, which occurred in February 2011, in the range of $35 million to $70 million, net of reinsurance and …

EQECAT Analyzes Specific Exposures from Japan Quake/Tsunami

Catastrophe modeling firm EQECAT has issued a bulletin describing the potential insured market losses and summarizing the various impacts of Japan’s insurance market with its specific inclusions and exclusions. Earthquake Shaking (EQ Shake) EQECAT identified this as the biggest exposure …

Commentary: The World Responds to Japan’s Agony

The magnitude 8.9 earthquake, 6 miles down in the Japan Trench and 130 kms (81 miles) off Japan’s northeast coast, triggered a tsunami that devastated cities and towns over a wide area. Pictures of the onrushing waves, piling up cars …

Aflac CEO Says Exposure to Japan Quake/Tsunami is ‘Limited’

U.S. insurer Aflac Inc , which is the largest foreign insurer in Japan, has “rather limited” financial exposure to the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Aflac’s chief executive said. “Are we going to be hit in terms of earnings or major …

Credit Suisse Estimates Japan Economic Losses at $171 to $183 Billion

Economic losses in the regions of Japan that were hit by a massive earthquake will reach around 14 trillion yen to 15 trillion yen ($171-$183 billion) based on information available on Monday, Credit Suisse said in a research note. Credit …

Analysts Describe Quake/Tsunami Impact on Japan’s P/C Insurers as ‘Limited’

A decline in shares of Japanese non-life insurers including MS&AD Insurance Group [Mitsui Sumitomo] is expected to be temporary as the impact on their earnings of the earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan should be limited, analysts said. The record …

“Unexpected Nature” of Japan Quake Complicates Insured Loss Estimates

The unexpected nature of this week’s earthquake in Japan, plus the damage from the subsequent tsunami and fires, makes estimating insured losses from the disaster especially difficult, senior executives at two top catastrophe risk modeling firms said Saturday. About $24 …

$35 Billion Japan Quake Cost Estimate Weighs on Insurers

Shares in European insurers fell steeply on Monday after analysts estimated over the weekend that the Japanese earthquake could cost the industry nearly $35 billion, making it one of the most expensive disasters ever. The Stoxx 600 European Insurance Share …