Latest Japan Headlines

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

Why Is Japan Releasing Treated Radioactive Water and Is it Safe?

Aug 25 2023 // Japan began pumping more than a million metric tons of treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Thursday, a process that will take decades to complete.The water was distilled...

People Moves: Dyer Appointed Chief Risk Officer for Aspen UK; Sompo Int’l Taps Walker From Allianz for Distribution Insurance, APAC; BMS Names Hewitt as Head of Japan

Aug 24 2023 // This edition of International People Moves detail appointments at Aspen Insurance Holdings, Sompo International, and BMS Group.A summary of these new hires follows here. Dyer Appointed Chief Risk Officer for Aspen UKAspen...

Japan Begins Releasing Nuclear Wastewater in Process That Could Last 30 Years

Aug 24 2023 // Japan started the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear site into the Pacific Ocean in a process that could last about 30 years, triggering an immediate retaliation by China to curb seafood imports.Tokyo...

Japan to Release Water Into Sea From Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant on Aug. 24

Aug 22 2023 // Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing into the sea more than 1 million metric tons of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, going ahead with a plan heavily criticized...

Typhoon Lan Grounds Flights, Halts Trains as It Crosses Japan

Aug 15 2023 // Typhoon Lan reached the coast of central Japan early Tuesday, grounding flights and halting trains as residents braced for heavy rain, flooding and landslides.Known locally as Typhoon No. 7, the storm has been traversing...

Japan Faces Another Typhoon With Trains, Hundreds of Flights Canceled

Aug 14 2023 // Japan is preparing for its second typhoon in a week, with airline companies canceling flights and rail operators halting some operations.Typhoon Lan is forecast to make landfall Tuesday in central Japan near Osaka, the...

Japan Cannot Confirm Security Leak After Report Says China Hacked Defense Networks

Aug 8 2023 // Japan cannot confirm if any security information has been leaked, the top government spokesperson said on Tuesday when asked about a Washington Post report on Chinese hacking into its defense cyber networks.Chinese...

Japan Competition Watchdog Probes Insurers Over Price Fixing

Aug 8 2023 // Japan’s competition watchdog has begun an investigation into whether the top four non-life insurers colluded to set premiums for their corporate clients, according to a person familiar with the matter, becoming the...

Japan to Release Fukushima Water as Soon as August: Reports

Aug 7 2023 // The Japanese government is preparing to start releasing treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site into the sea as early as late August, local newspapers including the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.Prime...

Japan Casualty Insurers’ Shares Sink on Concerns Over Suspected Price Fixing

Aug 2 2023 // A price-fixing scandal at Japan’s biggest casualty insurers is escalating following a media report that the suspected collusion is likely to be wider than initially believed.Shares of Tokio Marine Holdings Inc.,...

Japanese Used-Car Exec to Step Down After Revelations of Fraudulent Insurance Claims

Jul 26 2023 // The president of Japanese used-car dealership Bigmotor Co. Ltd. said he will step down after revelations of fraudulent insurance claims by the company’s repair shops, a scandal that has also ensnared Sompo Japan...

Japan’s Top Court Rules Government Restrictions on Transgender Employee’s Use of Restrooms Illegal

Jul 13 2023 // Japan’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that restrictions imposed by a government ministry on a transgender female employee’s use of restrooms at her workplace are illegal, in a landmark decision that could promote...

Ransomware Attack Hits Japan’s Biggest Port, Disrupting Cargo Shipments

Jul 5 2023 // Japan’s biggest maritime port was crippled by an alleged Russian cyberattack, disrupting cargo as operators rushed to prevent a wider delay in shipments.Ransomware — used by hackers to lock access to files or...

Toyota Blames Human Error for Leak of Vehicle Data of 2 Million Users in Japan

May 12 2023 // Toyota Motor Corp. said on Friday the vehicle data of 2.15 million users in Japan, or almost the entire customer base who signed up for its main cloud service platforms since 2012, had been publicly available for a decade...

Japan’s Sompo to Focus on Integration After Spree of Overseas Acquisitions

Apr 26 2023 // Sompo Holdings Inc. will place more focus on integrating domestic and overseas operations for further growth after a spell of acquisitions abroad boosted the global presence of Japan’s No. 3 non-life insurer group, a...

Gallagher Launches Brokerage in Japan, Led by 2 Former Marsh Execs

Apr 20 2023 // Gallagher has launched an insurance brokerage in Japan, which specializes in insurance solutions to both commercial clients and wholesale facultative insurance to other brokers.The Japanese unit is led by two former Marsh...

Japanese Banks (and Insurers) Face Spotlight for ‘Gender Washing’ Women Managers

Apr 19 2023 // Some Japanese banks may soon come under the spotlight for potential “gender washing” over the way they count the number of women in management positions.Japan’s Financial Services Agency found a big...

Supply Chain Hack in Japan Provides Warning for Businesses Across the Globe

Apr 18 2023 // Kojima Industries Corp. is a small company and little-known outside Japan, where it produces cup holders, USB sockets and door pockets for car interiors. But its modest role in the automotive supply chain is a critical...

Japanese Insurer’s Plan to Sell Foreign Debt Flashes Market Warning

Apr 18 2023 // A Japanese insurer with $65 billion of assets plans to offload all its currency-hedged foreign debt holdings, foreshadowing what may become a renewed wave of selling by some of the biggest investors in global bond...

Japanese Shipping Firm Seeks Government Support for Russia Insurance Risk

Mar 23 2023 // Major Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen KK is seeking a government guarantee to insure vessels at risk from Russia’s war in Ukraine.Conditions for getting war insurance for ships entering Russian territorial...