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Sep 16, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata |Hirofumi Kanaoka
TOKYO -- Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance will start selling car insurance by the hour for ride-hailing operators in Japan, Nikkei has learned -- a first for a Japanese insurance company. Tokio Marine's insurance, which will start in January, will calculate premiums by the hour based on data from ride-hailing apps. Premiums will vary but are expected to be around 70 yen to 200 yen (50 cents to $1.42) per hour.
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Sep 5, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- Japan's Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance will begin marketing health insurance products in Singapore from October through an investment in local insurance company Serenity Health Partners, with plans to expand into Indonesia and Vietnam from next year on. The size of the stake and amount paid have not been disclosed.
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Aug 17, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- Financial service group Orix will invest more than 150 billion yen ($1 billion) to expand its fleet of aircraft for leasing operations, seeking to tap growing demand for planes amid a recovery in global travel. The company will purchase more than 50 aircraft, mostly small and mid-sized used planes, over the next three years to double the fleet to over 100.
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May 6, 2024 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- The incoming chief executive of Japan's MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings has told Nikkei that he aims to unwind all cross-shareholdings within two years at the earliest at one of the core insurance units, a move that would accelerate the previous deadline by several years. Shinichiro Funabiki is currently the president of group subsidiary Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance. Funabiki will assume the double duty of president and CEO of MS&AD after a shareholders meeting in late June.
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Dec 10, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- Credit card issuer Credit Saison will begin a rental guarantee service for foreigners seeking to rent property in Japan, whose government is trying to attract more skilled workers from abroad as a key policy issue. The service, which is planned to start by the end of this year, is expected to arouse demand among students and workers from abroad.
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Oct 11, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- GMO Aozora Net Bank will issue a blockchain-based digital currency as early as July next year, the first project by a Japanese corporate consortium that has more than 100 members. The currency, DCJPY, is backed by deposits and can be instantly sent and settled using blockchain technology. Transfers do not go through the bank data system, keeping costs down. The bank envisions use for payments between companies.
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Sep 6, 2023 | 
link.aps.org | Takayoshi Sano |Natsumi Iwata |Yasuhiko Sentoku |Masayasu Hata
Advances in laser technology have led to ever-increasing laser intensities. As a result, in addition to the amplified spontaneous emission and pedestal, it has become necessary to accurately treat the relativistic rising edge component. This component has not needed much consideration in the past because of its not relativistic intensity.
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Aug 16, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- As foreign tourists return to Japan after the pandemic, the country's credit card companies could face 20 billion yen ($137 million) yearly in deficits by paying more in fees to overseas card brands and other expenses than they receive in transaction commissions. Companies such as Sumitomo Mitsui Card and Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos operate by both issuing cards and installing card readers in restaurants and retailers to expand member stores.
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Jun 26, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- Japanese consumer finance group Orico is preparing to debut a credit card business in Indonesia, a market ripe for expansion thanks to a growing middle class. Orico will invest in Honest Financial Technologies International, an Indonesia-focused fintech startup that established a full-scale virtual credit card business this year for use on smartphones. The investment amount was not disclosed.
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May 31, 2023 | 
asia.nikkei.com | Keita Sekiguchi |Natsumi Iwata
TOKYO -- Japanese banks small and large are on track to start issuing stablecoins this year under legislation taking effect Thursday. Stablecoins -- cryptocurrencies pegged to legal tender, a commodity, or another underlying asset -- are designed to buffer against major fluctuations in value. Examples include Tether and USD Coin.
