Nippon Life Books Its First Impairment Loss in Current Bond Rout

MarketsNippon Life Books Its First Impairment Loss in Current Bond RoutFacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftFacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftGift this articleContact us:Provide news feedback or report an errorConfidential tip?Send a tip to our reportersSite feedback:Take our SurveyNew WindowFacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftBy Nao Sano and Taiga UranakaMay 26, 2026 at 9:39 AM UTCCorrected May 26, 2026 at 9:39 AM UTCBookmarkSaveNippon Life Insurance Co. booked an impairment loss on its Japanese government bonds, signaling that some of the paper losses on the debt holdings have climbed to levels that require writedowns. Japan’s biggest life insurer wrote down ¥70 billion ($440 million) in the year ended March 31, a charge that a company spokesperson said was its first since the Bank of Japan shifted its policy to raising interest rates in March 2024. The market value of some of the bonds it holds fell more than 50% from their acquisition price, indicating little prospect of recovery and meeting the impairment criteria.