Postal life insurance

Japanese: 簡易生命保険 - かんいせいめいほけん

A government-run life insurance company that has been providing easy-to-use life insurance to the public with low premiums and reliable management in order to stabilize the economic lives of the people. It is commonly known as Kanpo. Before the privatization of postal services on October 1, 2007, it was run by Japan Post (formerly the Postal Insurance Bureau of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and the Postal Services Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), but after privatization, the Independent Administrative Institution Management Organization for Postal Savings and Postal Life Insurance took over its management.

[Mitsuo Sakaguchi]

History

Japan's Postal Life Insurance began as a state-run monopoly under the Postal Life Insurance Law enacted in 1916 (Taisho 5). This law, which has been amended many times since it was fully revised by the Postal Life Insurance Law of 1949 (Showa 24), stipulated provisions regarding the purpose of Postal Life Insurance, Postal Life Insurance contracts, and policyholder welfare facilities. Postal Life Insurance products included 22 types of products, such as whole life insurance, term insurance, endowment insurance, couple insurance, education insurance, property accumulation savings insurance, lifetime security insurance, whole life annuity insurance, term annuity insurance, and couple annuity insurance, which were further divided into 39 types under the insurance terms and conditions.

Postal life insurance was a basic means of security for living that could be easily subscribed to through nearby post offices located throughout the country, and had the following characteristics:

(1) Non-profit purposes
(2) No medical examination is required to join
(3) There are no restrictions on membership based on occupation.
(4) There is a limit on the amount of insurance coverage.
(5) The insurance payout is immediate. To add to (2) above, in order to simplify the application process for Postal Life Insurance, the insured person's health condition is not examined by a doctor when applying for the basic contract (called non-examination insurance). However, when applying for the basic contract, the insured person is required to undergo an interview with a post office employee. In addition, the policyholder (insured person) or the insured person must notify certain questions about the insured person's health condition when applying for the insurance contract (obligation to notify). The post office employee's interview and the policyholder's or insured person's notification will determine whether to accept the application for the basic contract. The insurance payout limit in (4) is 7 million yen per insured person under the age of 15, and 10 million yen per insured person over the age of 16. However, if you are between 20 and 55 years old and have an insurance contract that has been in place for more than four years, you can insure up to a total of 13 million yen.

In this way, postal life insurance complemented the functions of private life insurance companies and offered small amounts of life insurance at low premiums, so the insurance limit was set by law. However, this limit was gradually raised, creating competition with private life insurance companies, and the ballooning size of postal life insurance became an issue.

[Mitsuo Sakaguchi]

Post-privatization life insurance

As mentioned above, the postal life insurance business had been run by Japan Post, but in accordance with the six postal privatization laws of 2005, Japan Post was privatized and spun off into separate companies on October 1, 2007, and the life insurance division of Japan Post was taken over by Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd., a member of the Japan Post Group. Japan Post Insurance handles a variety of new insurance products, but the Postal Savings and Postal Life Insurance Management Corporation, an independent administrative institution, manages postal life insurance contracts with government guarantees that existed before privatization. However, practical matters such as insurance payments, address changes, and various applications are entrusted to Japan Post Network Co., Ltd. via Japan Post Insurance. Even after privatization, policyholders can continue to receive insurance services at post office counters, just as before.

Because the Postal Life Insurance Law was abolished with privatization, new Postal Life Insurance contracts are no longer being accepted, but Postal Life Insurance contracts signed before privatization remain valid even after privatization, and government guarantees for the payment of insurance benefits will continue until the contract expires. There is no need to rewrite certificates or go through procedures for transferring insurance premiums or receiving pensions, but changes to coverage and special clauses cannot be made, and special clauses cannot be added. As of the end of fiscal 2006, the number of insurance contracts in force was 56.96 million, with insurance amounts totaling 157 trillion yen, and the number of pension insurance contracts in force was 6.74 million, with pension amounts totaling 2.5194 trillion yen, and the amount of funds totaling approximately 113 trillion yen.

[Mitsuo Sakaguchi]

"Socio-Economic Trends and Postal Insurance and Postal Pensions," Lectures 1-9 (1982-85), edited and published by the Communications Business Education Promotion Association" ▽ "Postal Insurance and Postal Pension Study Group, Quick Guide: 100 Questions and 100 Answers on Postal Insurance and Postal Pensions (1988, Gyosei)" ▽ "Yamaguchi Osamu, Draft History of the Postal Insurance Business Founded 75 Years Later (1991, Postal Insurance and Postal Pension Subscribers Association)" ▽ Ono Eiko, How to Make the Most of the Post Office Yu-Yu Service -- Everything about Savings, Postal Insurance, and Services (1995, Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha)" ▽ "Mathematics Study Group, Introduction to Actuarial Science of Postal Insurance, 2nd Edition (1995, Education Center, International Telecommunications Economics Research Institute)" ▽ "Postal Insurance Subscribers Association, Edited: History of the Postal Life Insurance Business Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Company's Founding (1996, Postal Insurance and Postal Pension Subscribers Association)" ▽ "Postal Service Study Group, Illustrated A book that explains everything about the post office -- Postal services, postal savings and postal insurance (1998, Toyo Keizai Inc.) ▽ "Postal Insurance '98," compiled and published by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Postal Insurance Bureau (1998) ▽ "The Truth about the Life Insurance Crisis -- Why are Private Insurance Companies Weak and Postal Insurance Companies Strong?" edited by Fukao Mitsuhiro and the Japan Center for Economic Research (2003, Toyo Keizai Inc.) ▽ "Postal Privatization Study Group, edited, "Postal Privatization Handbook" (2006, Gyosei) ▽ "The Latest Common Knowledge in the Industry: An Easy-to-Understand Insurance Industry" by Mitsuno Ryutaro (2006, Nihon Jitsugyo Publishing) ▽ "The Focus of Postal Privatization -- Is a 'Small Government' Possible?" revised and expanded edition by Nomura Kentaro (2007, Tax and Accounting Association)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

国民に簡易に利用できる生命保険を安い保険料で確実な経営によって提供し、国民の経済生活の安定を図るため行われてきた国営の生命保険。通称簡保(かんぽ)。2007年（平成19）10月1日の郵政民営化実施以前は、日本郵政公社（旧郵政省簡易保険局、総務省郵政事業庁）が行っていたが、民営化後は独立行政法人郵便貯金・簡易生命保険管理機構がその管理を継承した。

［坂口光男］

沿革

日本の簡易生命保険は、1916年（大正5）に制定された簡易生命保険法によって、国営の独占事業としてその業務を開始した。この法律は、1949年（昭和24）の簡易生命保険法によって全面的に改正されたのち、たびたびの改正を経ながら、簡易生命保険の目的、簡易生命保険契約、および加入者福祉施設に関する規定を定めていた。簡易生命保険の商品としては、終身保険、定期保険、養老保険、夫婦保険、学資保険、財形貯蓄保険、生涯保障保険、終身年金保険、定期年金保険、夫婦年金保険など22種類あり、これらはさらに保険約款上、39種類に分けられていた。

　簡易生命保険は、全国に設けられている身近な郵便局を通じ簡易に加入することができる基礎的な生活保障手段として、次のような特色を有した。

(1)営利を目的としないこと
(2)加入にあたり医師の診査を必要としないこと
(3)職業による加入制限を設けていないこと
(4)保険金の加入限度額が設けられていること
(5)保険金の支払いが即時払いであること
である。前記のうち、(2)について補足すると、簡易生命保険では、加入手続を簡易なものとするため、基本契約の申込みの際、被保険者の健康状態について医師による診査は行われない（無診査保険という）。しかし、基本契約の申込みの際、被保険者は郵便局の職員の面接を受けることを必要とする。また、保険契約者（保険加入者）または被保険者は、保険契約の申込みの際、被保険者の健康状態に関する一定の質問事項について告知を行わなければならない（告知義務）。そして、郵便局の職員による面接と保険契約者または被保険者の告知をもとにして、基本契約の申込みに対して承諾するかどうかを判断することになる。(4)の保険金の加入限度額であるが、15歳以下では被保険者1人につき700万円、16歳以上では被保険者1人につき1000万円が限度とされる。もっとも、20歳以上55歳以下で、加入後4年以上経過した保険契約がある場合は、通算して最高1300万円まで加入できる。

　このように簡易生命保険は、民間の生命保険会社の機能を補完し、安い保険料で小口の生命保険を提供するため、保険の加入限度額が法律で定められていた。しかし、その額は逐次引き上げられ、民間の生命保険会社との間に競合が生じるようになり、簡易生命保険の肥大化は課題とされていた。

［坂口光男］

民営化後の簡易生命保険

簡易生命保険事業は、前述のように日本郵政公社により運営されてきたが、2005年（平成17）の郵政民営化関連6法により、2007年10月1日に日本郵政公社が民営・分社化されることになり、日本郵政公社の事業のうち生命保険部門を、日本郵政グループの株式会社かんぽ生命保険が承継した。かんぽ生命保険は新規の各種保険商品を扱うが、民営化以前の政府保証つきの簡易生命保険契約に関する管理は独立行政法人郵便貯金・簡易生命保険管理機構が行う。ただし、保険金等の支払い、住所変更、各種申し出などの実務はかんぽ生命保険を経由して郵便局株式会社に委託されている。契約者は民営化後もこれまでと同様に郵便局の窓口で保険のサービスが受けられる。

　民営化により簡易生命保険法が廃止されたため、簡易生命保険の新規契約の募集は行われていないが、民営化以前の簡易生命保険契約については、民営化後も有効で、保険金等の支払いについての政府保証も、その契約が消滅するまで継続される。証書の書換えや、保険料の振込み・年金の受取りについての手続は不要であるが、保障内容・特約の変更、特約の追加はできない。2006年度末の保有契約は、保険が件数5696万件、保険金額157兆円、年金保険が件数674万件、年金額は2兆5194億円、資金量は約113兆円。

［坂口光男］

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