From a sense of crisis to responsibility for the future
In this interview, I share the unfiltered sense of urgency I felt when I took office, and how that awareness shaped our approach to reform. At the time, the company was confronting an unprecedented challenge due to the company’s response to fraudulent automobile insurance claims by a major used car dealer. It was a defining moment, one that tested us like never before.
A renewed sense of resolve became the starting point for everything that came after. I realized I must step onto the front line myself and rebuild the company from its very foundations.
We discuss the thinking behind the “SJ-R” project, which centers on transforming both our operating foundation and earnings structure, and why I believe cultural reform is indispensable. I also look back to the origins of the Sompo Group in the Tokyo Fire Insurance Company, and to the private firefighting corps known as the Tokyo Fire Insurance Fire Brigade. They were called “hikeshi” or literally, people who put out fires. Drawing on this legacy, I explain how we are carrying forward and evolving the hikeshi spirit through the “HIKESHI DNA 2030 Project,” adapting to the demands of modern business.
Through initiatives in disaster prevention and mitigation, and by leveraging AI and digital technologies, we remain committed to supporting safety and security across society.
In the interview, I describe my vision for the future that Sompo Japan is striving to build.
SOMPO PLUS ACTIONS video series
The video featured on this page is the second installment in the three-part interview series “SOMPO PLUS ACTIONS” produced in collaboration with Bungeishunju PLUS, a video media platform that continues the legacy of renowned century-old Japanese magazine Bungeishunju.
This video series explains different aspects of the society that the Sompo Group aims to create, from the perspectives of our leadership in Japan. Please also see the other interviews.
First interview: Mikio Okumura, Sompo Holdings Group CEO
Third interview: Yasuhiro Oba, SOMPO Wellbeing CEO (COMING SOON)
