Latest Japan Headlines

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

Weakened Typhoon Halong Lashes Japan; 1 Dead, Dozens Hurt

Aug 11 2014 // A tropical storm was moving out into the Sea of Japan on Sunday after lashing the country with rain and winds, leaving one person dead, more than 50 injured and prompting evacuation alerts for about 1.2 million residents...

Hawaii Spared Hurricane As Iselle Weakens to Tropical Storm

Aug 8 2014 // Hawaii escaped its first hurricane strike in 22 years as Iselle was downgraded to a tropical storm just before making landfall at the Big Island.Iselle, bearing winds of 60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour, was 80 miles...

Typhoon Halong Nears Japan; Saturday Landfall Expected: AIR Analysis

Aug 8 2014 // According the catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, strong winds and heavy rainfall from Typhoon Halong have already arrived on Japan’s Daito Islands (about 320 km [200 miles] east of Okinawa), with reports of...

No Fukushima Radiation Found in Oregon, Says Group

Jul 30 2014 // A group testing West Coast waters for radiation from a damaged Japanese nuclear power plant says no evidence of contamination has been found in Oregon. Massive amounts of contaminated water were released from the Fukushima...

Automakers Race to Be First With Driverless Cars

Jul 17 2014 // Nissan Motor Co. will introduce cars that park themselves by 2016, Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said, as the Japanese carmaker rushes to be among the first to offer automated driving.The feature, along with...

TS Neoguri Makes Landfall in Kyushu; Continues to Weaken: AIR Analysis

Jul 11 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri weakened to a tropical storm before it made landfall on Japan’s southernmost island, Kyushu, at 6 a.m. Thursday, July 10, local time (5 p.m....

Typhoon Neoguri Approaches Kyushu: AIR Analysis

Jul 10 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri, the strongest typhoon so far in the 2014 Western Pacific season, is slowly closing in on the west coast of Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan’s...

Typhoon Neoguri Lashes Okinawa; Heads for Kyushu: AIR Report

Jul 9 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, Typhoon Neoguri made its closest approach to Japan’s southern Okinawa islands last night, lashing the islands with torrential rain and strong winds.The storm wind...

Typhoon Neoguri to Skirt Okinawa; Nears Kyushu Landfall: AIR Analysis

Jul 8 2014 // According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, at about 6:30 am local time today, Typhoon Neoguri—the strongest typhoon to date in 2014—is “roaring toward Japan with sustained winds of 180 km/hr [112 mph]...

Typhoon Neoguri Strengthens; Heads towards Okinawa, Japan

Jul 7 2014 // Typhoon Neoguri is currently roiling the waters of the Western Pacific, south of Okinawa. The latest weather reports indicate that it is an immense storm and is gaining strength with sustained winds of 140 mph [225...

Japan’s MS&AD Planning on Insurance Acquisitions for Growth in Southeast Asia

Jun 24 2014 // MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest non-life insurer, will seek acquisitions in Southeast Asia to expand its overseas business, said President and Chief Executive Officer Yasuyoshi...

Cat Bond Buyers Listening to Storm Forecasters, Not Buffett

Jun 16 2014 // Bond buyers are betting more than ever on the mercy of Mother Nature as they seek to boost yields being suppressed by central banks.Demand for notes linked to insurance against hurricanes and other natural disasters is...

Ratings Roundup: Toa Re, GeoVera, Argus Group

Jun 13 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings of “aa-” of The Toa Reinsurance Company Limited, based in Japan, and its subsidiary, The Toa...

Active Season for West Pacific: AccuWeather 2014 Typhoon Forecast

Jun 12 2014 // The AccuWeather Global Weather Center has issued a forecast for the 2014 West Pacific typhoon season, which anticipates “near-normal numbers.” The forecast also noted, however, that “the onset of El Niño...

Ratings Recap: Frankenmuth, Sooner, Tokio Marine America, Kingstone, Canopius U.S., HDI-Gerling America

May 28 2014 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative and affirmed the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a+” of Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, Ansur America Insurance Company,...

Tsunami Debris Skiff Found On Washington Coast

May 23 2014 // More than three years after the tsunami hit Japan, evidence of the disaster continues to haunt the West Coast where residents know they also are vulnerable.A skiff that was once used by someone near Sendai washed ashore in...

Report Cites Crops Most Vulnerable to El Nino

May 16 2014 // The El Nino weather phenomenon that is likely to strike this year will damage world maize, rice and wheat yields but boost soybeans, according to a study on Thursday that could help farmers plan what to grow.The...

RRJ, Temasek to Invest $1.8 Billion in ING Insurance Unit

May 1 2014 // RRJ Capital Ltd., run by Charles Ong, and his former employer Temasek Holdings Pte, have agreed to invest €1.28 billion ($1.8 billion) in ING Groep NV’s NN insurance business before the unit’s initial public...

Hartford to Sell Japan Operation to Orix in $895 Million Deal

Apr 28 2014 // Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. agreed to sell its Japanese operation to Orix Corp. as Chief Executive Officer Liam McGee narrows the U.S. insurer’s focus.Orix will pay about $895 million for the business,...

Divers Continue Search as South Korea Ferry Probe Turns to Cargo

Apr 24 2014 // Divers retrieved more bodies from a South Korean ferry that sank last week, as investigators turned their attention to whether the vessel had been carrying more cargo than it was designed to hold.The official death toll...