Research and Markets: Japan Insurance Report Q3 2012

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mb3w84/japan_insurance_re) has announced the addition of the "Japan Insurance Report Q3 2012" report to their offering.

The Japan Insurance Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, insurance associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on Japan's insurance industry.

The Japan Insurance Report considers the prospects for both life and non-life (property & casualty and health) insurers. Both segments differ quite markedly from their counterparts in other countries that are surveyed by BMI. In part because of mega-mergers (particularly in the non-life segment), companies have enormous scale by any standards. Insurers are an integral part of the peculiar financial sector of Japan, in which accumulated savings are enormous and are often channelled to the government and its agencies through Japanese government bonds (JGBs) or other securities.

Perhaps most importantly, the markets are orderly. Notwithstanding that some major lines (such as the auto-related business written by many of the major non-life companies) there is an absence of cutthroat competition. Barriers to entry to foreign groups are high. However, they are not insurmountable.

Particular foreign groups with the absolute size, capital strength, brands, expertise in developing annuity products (especially) and long-established distribution relationships continue to flourish in Japan.

Over the last quarter, BMI has made the following changes:

- Recent announcements from major insurers and ratings agencies are included.

- The latest developments in postal reform (particularly the tabling, at the end of March 2012 of legislation that appears to entrench the privileged position of Japan Post Holdings' subsidiaries) are discussed.

- Projections include the latest wave of data which points to continued stagnation in Japan's economy.

Companies Mentioned

- Japan Post Insurance

- Nippon Life Insurance Company (Nissay)

- NKSJ Holdings

- AEGON

- Allianz

- Chartis

- HDIGerling

- ING Group

- Manulife

- MetLife ALICO

- Prudential Financial

- Prudential plc

- Zurich Financial Services

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mb3w84/japan_insurance_re