The 31st East Asian Insurance Congress opened in Tokyo yesterday evening, returning the gathering to the city where it began in 1964 for a fourth time in more than six decades. The theme, "Back to the Origin, A Bridge to the Future," called to mind the region's insurance history, the Congress' storied past and the many relationships that were built throughout its 62 years.
EAIC Vice President and Tokyo's representative Hiroshi Shimizu welcomed delegates by noting the symbolism of the venue. "Tokyo is the birthplace" of the Congress, he said. The 31st EAIC is the city's fourth time hosting the event, with Mr Shimizu calling it "both a privilege and a very special responsibility."
He framed the industry's purpose in broad terms, describing the shared goal of insurance professionals, regulators and business leaders as helping communities "face the future with confidence" in a rapidly changing world, and said the Congress would take up both longstanding and emerging challenges facing the sector over the following days. He urged attendees to look beyond the formal programme, saying the Congress "is about more than what is said on stage" and pointing to networking as central to its value.
During her own welcome remarks, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike linked the Congress theme to the city's own resilience agenda. Citing recent disasters, including flooding in Nepal, the Kumamoto earthquake, and heavy rains in Chiba and Nagoya, she described insurance as delivering the same outcome Tokyo is pursuing through infrastructure and finance.
The city's Tokyo Resilience Project, which includes large-scale underground reservoirs, is being paired with financial instruments such as the world's first internationally certified resilience bond, she added.
"Providing peace of mind is the core value of the insurance industry," Ms Koike said. "And it is also what Tokyo seeks to deliver."
EAIC President Sally Wan then used her welcome remarks to highlight the industry's current challenges, tying it to the Congress’ longstanding history of fostering fruitful partnerships between insurers across the region. She traced the Congress's origins to a small group of insurance leaders who convened in Tokyo more than 60 years ago "to exchange ideas, build relationships, and advance our industry”. This, she said, was a mission that has since grown into one of Asia's most enduring insurance gatherings.
Ms Wan turned to the scale of underinsurance across the region, describing it as both a social responsibility and a commercial opportunity. "Many families and businesses across Asia [are] underprotected," she said, adding that closing the gap will require the industry to make protection "simpler, more accessible, more relevant" to changing needs. She argued that climate risk and technological change make regional cooperation essential, since "no one market can meet them alone."
She then formally declared EAIC 2026 open, telling delegates the Congress exists to give "people security in uncertain times" and businesses, families, and society the confidence to plan for what comes next.