Foreign Non-Life Insurers in Japan

Transcription

1 V International 1 Business Foreign Non-Life Insurers in Japan Foreign non-life insurers operating in Japan are, classified according to the following five categories ; (a) locally incorporated insurers, including foreigncapitalized insurers (herein, such foreign-capitalized insurers are classified as domestic insurers.), licensed to conduct non-life insurance business under the Insurance Business Law, (b) foreign non-life insurers licensed on a branch or agent basis to conduct nonlife insurance business under the Insurance Business Law, (c) specific foreign insurers licensed under the Insurance Business Law to conduct non-life insurance business through their general agents in Japan (i.e. the Society of Lloyd s), (d) insurance or reinsurance brokers acting in Japan as registered insurance agents or insurance brokers, and (e) representative or liaison offices established in order to collect information on the insurance market. Foreign non-life insurers here means insurers in categories (b) and (c) above. As of December 2002, there were 25 foreign non-life insurers in Japan from the following countries: U.S.A. (7) ; U.K. (5) ; France (2) ; Germany (2) ; Switzerland (2) ; India, Australia, Korea, the Philippines, Italy, Bermuda and Norway (l each). Of these 25 companies, two confine their activities to reinsurance, three others offer only Protection & Indemnity Insurance, while a further two are represented by Japanese non-life insurance companies as their agents. Of these 25 foreign non-life insurers, 16 are members of the Non-Life Insurance Rating Organization of Japan. As of the end of March 2002, foreign non-life insurers employees totaled 3,325, and agents 17,904. A. Direct Premiums Written by Foreign Non-Life Insurers In fiscal ending March 31, 2002, the total of direct premiums (including the savings portion of maturity-refund type insurance premiums) of foreign non-life insurers amounted to about billion yen, recording an increase of 3.3% over the previous year. Personal accident insurance maintained the biggest share of any line of business at 42.7%, followed by voluntary automobile insurance (32.5%). Direct Premiums of Foreign Non-Life Insurers (million yen & %) Class of Business Fire Voluntary Automobile Personal Accident Miscellaneous Casualty Marine and Inland Transit Compulsory Automobile Liability Fiscal 1999 Fiscal 2000 Fiscal Share of Japanese Amount Growth Amount Growth Amount Growth Share Insurers 30, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , (Note) Figures above do not include those of foreign-capitalized non-life insurers and foreign non-life insurers which do not have membership in the Foreign Non-Life Insurance Association of Japan. V. International Business 29

2 The market share of foreign non-life insurers in Japan (including the five foreign-capitalized non-life insurers operating in Japan) stood at 4.5%, up 0.3 of a percentage point from the previous year. When the savings portion of maturity-refund type insurance premiums is excluded, this share increases to 5.2%, up 0.2 of a percentage point from the previous year. B. Japan-Foreign Insurance Committee (JAFIC) The top management of the Marine and Fire Insurance Association of Japan and the Foreign Non- Life Insurance Association of Japan have been meeting regularly since 1982 at the Japan-Foreign Insurance Committee (JAFIC) meetings to exchange views and opinions about various issues of common interest. Moreover, in response to the rapidly changing environment in which the Japanese insurance industry finds itself, the Executive Meeting was established in June 1994 to enhance mutual understanding and to promote further communication through lively discussions between the top executives of the two associations. 2 Japanese Non-Life Insurers Abroad As of April 1, 2002, eight Japanese non-life insurers write risks through their overseas branch offices and agents, and twelve Japanese non-life insurers have established overseas subsidiaries (including reinsurance devoted companies) to write risks. As for overseas operations in general (branches, agents, overseas subsidiaries and liaison offices), Japanese insurers operate in 57 countries and regions. On the one hand, due to the consolidation of the Japanese non-life insurers, some of the overseas branch offices, agents, etc. were withdrawn from their countries and regions. On the other hand, with the increase in Japanese companies which have made inroads into overseas markets and the deregulation of the overseas market, some non-life insurers have increased the number of their overseas subsidiaries. The total direct premiums written by the aforesaid eight Japanese non-life insurers through their overseas branch offices and agents amounted to 63.2 billion yen, an increase of 7.6% from the previous year. (Direct premiums written by their overseas subsidiaries are not included in these figures.) This increase was attributable to foreign exchange profits from insurance premiums and the increase in premium income from Europe from the previous year. Class of Business Fire Automobile Marine Hull Marine Cargo Others Direct Premiums Written Abroad by Japanese Non-Life Insurers (million yen & %) Fiscal 1999 Fiscal 2000 Fiscal Premiums Growth Premiums Growth Premiums Growth 11, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Part I General Review of Fiscal

3 The objectives of the overseas operations of Japanese insurers are as follows: to provide Japanese clients in the overseas markets with insurance services; to strengthen business relations with local insurers and reinsurers; to collect information on the local insurance market, etc. The total number of Japanese insurers offices abroad is listed in the table below. (Subsidiaries / Branches / Agents) Conditions of Japanese Insurers Offices Abroad (as of April 1, each year) Number of Japanese Insurers conducting foreign Number of Countries / Number of Japanese Type of Office business through their Regions (Note4) Insurers Offices Abroad Overseas Offices (Note3) Year Year 2002 Year Year 2002 Year Year 2002 Subsidiaries (Note1) (excl. their branches & agents) Direct Insurance Subsidiaries with 50% or more of Japanese Capital (Note2) Branches of Direct Insurance Subsidiaries Agents of Direct Insurance Subsidiaries Sub-total Overseas Branches Overseas Agents Sub-total (Notes) 1. Subsidiaries means companies operating insurance and/or reinsurance business only, thus excluding asset investment, loss survey operations, etc. The numbers are calculated excluding their branches and agents. 2. Figures include cases where Japanese insurers have gained substantial control of a subsidiary by such means as taking the position of directorship without owning majority shares. 3. Figures represent the number of Japanese insurers conducting their foreign business by type of overseas offices, and include cases where a Japanese insurer conducts its business through both its overseas subsidiaries and branches/agents of its home country head office in the same region. 4. Figures represent the number of countries or regions where Japanese insurers conduct their foreign business through their overseas offices. (Liaison Offices) Year Number of Japanese Insurers establishing their Liaison Offices Number of Countries / Regions Number of Cities Number of Offices V. International Business 31

4 3 International Reinsurance Business The outward reinsurance balance had been unfavorable to the Japanese non-life insurance industry as a whole for years until fiscal year 1991 when the balance was reversed following a sharp increase in claims received for losses caused by a series of typhoons, including Typhoon No.19 (Mireille). In l992, however, the balance became negative again due to a sharp increase in reinsurance premium rates by overseas reinsurers and has since remained unfavorable. The inward reinsurance balance has been unfavorable to the Japanese non-life insurance industry as a whole for years. This is mainly attributable to payments for reinsurance claims from losses caused by frequent catastrophes abroad. Furthermore, in fiscal, this unfavorable balance was worsened by the terrorist attack on September 11. The reinsurance business results for the past five years are shown in the tables below: (Note) Since the figures for fiscal 1999, 2000 and in the tables below do not include reinsurance commissions, a comparison with the figures from previous years is not possible. Outward Reinsurance Balance (billion yen) Inward Reinsurance Balance (billion yen) FY Premiums (paid) Claims (received) Balance FY Premiums (received) Claims (paid) Balance (Note) Claims (received) include reinsurance commisions until fiscal (Note) Claims (paid) include reinsurance commisions until fiscal International Comparison of Non-Life Insurance Premium Volume International comparisons of non-life insurance premium volume are sometimes difficult because of differences in insurance policies, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, and differences in style of operations. Nevertheless, a statistical publication Sigma issued by the Swiss Reinsurance Company (Zurich) gives us, in principle, a comprehensive comparison on domestic gross direct premiums written by domestic insurers and branches of foreign insurers in each country. It is useful in understanding the development and size of each non-life insurance market. According to Sigma, in 2000 there were 88 countries which each earned at least US$150 million in total gross direct premiums from both life and non-life insurance businesses. For non-life insurance, the worldwide gross direct premiums total reached US$922.4 billion (102,148.8 billion yen: US$1= yen). The U.S.A. had a 45.85% share of the total non-life insurance premiums, followed by Japan (11.11%), Germany (7.31%), the U.K. (6.20%), and France (4.03%). The ratio of gross direct premiums to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is shown in the following table. Of countries not listed separately, Barbados with 4.98% ranked 1st, the Bahamas ranked 3rd 32 Part I General Review of Fiscal

5 (4.42%) and New Zealand ranked 4th (4.33%). Japan with 2.22% ranked 30th. Furthermore, reviewing non-life insurance premiums per capita on a Japanese currency basis, Switzerland held the leading position with 173,928 yen. Japan ranked 8th with 89,500 yen. Of countries not listed separately, Luxembourg totals 103,597 yen (3rd) and Iceland 95,834 yen (5th) are in the higher rank. International Comparison of Non-Life Insurance Premium Volume (2000) Country U.S.A. Japan Germany U.K. France Italy Canada Spain Netherlands Korea Australia Switzerland Brazil Belgium China Taiwan Austria Mexico Argentina Sweden Gross Direct Premiums Gross Direct Premiums GDP Per Capita Premiums (million yen) Rank Share (%) (%) Rank (yen) Rank 46,837, , ,353, , ,471, , ,336, , ,113, , ,921, , ,583, , ,739, , ,644, , ,562, , ,417, , ,254, , ,153, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Other Countries 7,180, (Average) 102,148, ,113 (Notes) 1. Figures quoted are from Sigma/Swiss Re No.6/. 2. The exchange rate used (US$1= yen) is the average exchange rate for Gross Direct Premiums include all premiums written by domestic and foreign companies within the country. 4. The figures for Japan include those of the Zenkyoren, the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives. V. International Business 33