The Japan Financial Services Agency has promulgated Cabinet Office Ordinance amendments implementing the revised Insurance Business Act and published the results of its public consultation, which attracted 176 submissions between 17 December 2025 and 30 January 2026. The ordinances are scheduled to take effect on 1 June 2026. The package strengthens system and governance obligations for specified large-scale insurance solicitors, including appointing legal compliance officers at each office and at head office level and establishing complaint-handling arrangements, and adds further requirements for specified large-scale multi-life insurance agents engaged in concurrent business, including systems for concurrent business, complaints, and internal audits and whistleblowing. It also introduces strengthened requirements for insurance companies when outsourcing to specified large-scale multi-life insurance solicitors and for non-life insurers where specified insurance solicitors conduct concurrent business, expands the ban on excessive benefits to cover policyholders and persons closely related to the insured, and puts in place measures linked to the use of insurance intermediaries including procedures for overseas direct insurance and reporting of scandalous incidents by insurance intermediaries. In line with the 1 June 2026 implementation, the FSA will also revise the business report format for insurance agents that qualify as large-scale specified insurance solicitors. The FSA will publish a separate, later summary of consultation feedback on provisions intended to secure appropriate comparative and recommended sales at ride-sharing agencies, covering amendments to Articles 227-2 and 234-21 of the Insurance Business Act Enforcement Regulations and Article 56 of the Cabinet Office Ordinance on Financial Service Intermediaries.

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