News On Japan

Nippon Life Insurance to acquire resolution life for $8.2 bil.

Dec 11, 2024 (NHK) - Nippon Life Insurance says it will acquire Resolution Life Group Holdings for 8.2 billion dollars. It's the largest takeover by a Japanese insurer. Bermuda-based Resolution runs insurance businesses globally, including the US, Europe and Australia.

President, Nippon Life Insurance Shimizu Hiroshi said "The US is the world's largest life insurance market. We wanted to have a company there as the core of our business abroad in the future."

Nippon Life aims to strengthen its overseas operations through the buyout. Its domestic market is shrinking as Japan's population declines.

The company already holds a roughly 23 percent stake in Resolution Life. It plans to make the equity affiliate a wholly owned subsidiary by between July and December next year.

Separately, the Japanese insurer said on Tuesday it had acquired 21.6 percent of Corebridge Financial for about 3.8 billion dollars. The company is an affiliate of insurance-giant American International Group, or AIG, which operates in 70 countries.

Nippon Life's overseas businesses accounted for 4 percent of its core operating profit in the last fiscal year. The firm expects the ratio to rise to 20 percent after its purchase of Resolution Life.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Toyota Motor will begin operating fully autonomous taxis in 2027 through a partnership with U.S. self-driving technology company Waymo, marking a major step in the Japanese automaker's efforts to expand driverless transportation services.

Mount Fuji has received its first snowcap of the season, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced on October 30, after temperatures at the summit plunged to minus 9.4 degrees Celsius, marking the arrival of winter conditions on Japan's highest mountain.

U.S. intelligence agencies suspect that a Chinese female intelligence operative developed a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in an attempt to obtain confidential corporate and U.S. government information, according to a report published by The New York Times on October 29th.

The Japanese government has asked major telecommunications operators to forcibly block access to websites believed to contain personal information stolen in a cyberattack on GMO, it emerged on October 29th, as authorities moved to prevent further exposure of sensitive data online.

Typhoon No. 31 was located near Minamitorishima Island in the Pacific Ocean, as of 3 a.m. on October 30, and was expected to approach the Ogasawara Islands south of Tokyo over the October 31-November 1 weekend while maintaining very strong intensity, bringing a growing risk of dangerously high waves, powerful swells and extremely rough seas.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Business NEWS

A series of cyberattacks has exposed millions of personal records belonging to customers of major Japanese companies, including Muji, Matsuya and All Nippon Airways, as well as individuals connected to the Foreign Ministry, while cybersecurity experts investigating a separate attack involving GMO say a serious mistake by the hackers may provide crucial clues to their identities.

Japan's furniture and home goods retailer Nitori opened what it describes as its largest store in the world on October 30th in Osaka's Chayamachi district, bringing a major new retail destination to an area east of Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station known for its youth culture, fashion boutiques, and specialty shops.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average plunged 1,369.36 points, or 2.12%, to close at 63,290.11 at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, October 30, ending a three-day winning streak as a sharp selloff in semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares swept through the Tokyo market, while the Bank of Japan's decision to leave interest rates unchanged failed to restore investor confidence.

The Bank of Japan announced on October 30th that underlying inflation has effectively reached its 2% target for the first time since the goal was introduced in 2013, marking a major milestone in the country's efforts to achieve sustained price growth, while keeping its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.25% as policymakers assess the impact of last month's rate increase.

Halloween celebrations across Japan are becoming increasingly expensive as October 31 approaches, with costume prices nearly doubling over the past five years and the average spending budget rising to 8,148 yen, prompting more people to find creative ways to enjoy the annual event without stretching their finances.

Hands Shibuya, one of Tokyo's best-known variety stores, will close on November 15 after 48 years in business, bringing an end to a shopping destination famous for its enormous selection of innovative household goods, stationery and unusual gadgets, with around 100,000 products still filling its shelves in the final weeks before closure.

Tokyo stocks extended their recovery on Thursday, October 29, with the Nikkei 225 closing at 64,659.47 points at 3:30 p.m., up 705.28 points, or 1.10%, from the previous session, as renewed buying of semiconductor and artificial intelligence-related shares helped the benchmark record its third consecutive daily gain ahead of the Bank of Japan's monetary policy decision.

GMO has announced a reward totaling approximately 150 million yen for information leading to the identification of hackers responsible for a cyberattack on its systems, while also pledging compensation to customers whose personal information has been exposed, as Japan faces a growing wave of cyberattacks targeting major companies.