Introduction

Dai-ichi Life is Japan’s second-largest life insurance company excluding recently privatized Japan Post Insurance, with a market share of around 11% of annualized net premiums. Unlike its largest domestic competitors Nippon Life, Meiji Yasuda, and Sumitomo Life, which remain mutually owned by their policyholders, Dai-ichi Life demutualized and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2010. Its main domestic operating company accounts for around 60% of profits, its Frontier bancassurance subsidiary selling mainly savings products accounts for around 10%, Alabama-based Protective Life accounts for around 15%, TAL in Australia accounts for 7%, and Dai-ichi Life Vietnam around 5%. Dai-ichi also holds a 30% economic interest in Mizuho’s Asset Management One.