About half of Japan's major life insurers will increase domestic bond holdings in fiscal 2026 as long-term yields rise, a Nikkei survey showed Tuesday.
Five of 10 insurers plan to add Japanese government bonds, up from four a year earlier, with 20-year yields around 3.3%. The narrowing gap with U.S. yields and hedging costs are reducing the appeal of foreign debt, with only Nippon Life Insurance and Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance planning increases, according to the report.
Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance will buy about 1 trillion yen of ultra long-term bonds, while Japan Post Insurance (TYO:7181) will raise holdings for the first time in nearly two decades, the report said.
Total domestic bond holdings across the 10 insurers will still fall by about 1.5 trillion yen, a smaller drop than a year earlier. All plan to increase allocations to alternative assets such as private credit, according to the report.
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