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Chiba Heavy Rain Insurance Payouts at About 35.4 Billion Yen, Kumamoto Quake at About 23.8 Billion Yen, General Insurance Association Says
The General Insurance Association of Japan announced on the 17th that insurance payouts by non-life insurers related to August's heavy rain in Chiba Prefecture had reached a total of about 35.4 billion yen as of August 28, including projected amounts. The breakdown shows vehicle insurance covering 19,182 vehicles for a total of about 20.6 billion yen, and fire insurance covering 10,405 cases for a total of about 14.3 billion yen. Meanwhile, for the Kumamoto earthquake that struck in July, earthquake insurance payouts came to 30,838 cases, with total insurance payments reaching about 23.8 billion yen. Koji Ishikawa, chairman of the association, said new claims and inquiries continue to arrive daily, and stated that the industry as a whole will work on insurance payout procedures.
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Verisk Maplecroft warns Asia faces unrest risk from food crisis as Thailand's sugar output slumps
Verisk Maplecroft, a risk consultancy, warns that erratic weather and the fallout from the Iran war could heighten food security risks in Asia and may lead to social unrest and political instability in vulnerable countries such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines. In a report published on 17 September, it said the Iran war has affected the supply of fuel and fertiliser, key inputs for the agricultural sector, while extreme weather from a strong El Niño is also hitting farm output in several Asian countries. Indonesia, the world's largest palm oil producer, is battling hard-to-control wildfires that are disrupting harvests, while India, the world's largest rice exporter, has seen monsoon rainfall 15% below normal. Thailand, meanwhile, is likely to see a sharp drop in sugar output and remains heavily dependent on energy and fertiliser imports, while facing pressure from farmers' debt burdens ahead of the next planting season. Data from Verisk Maplecroft's food security index shows that more than half of the countries at high or critical risk on food security are also in the two highest-risk groups on its civil unrest forecast index, including India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Indonesia. Protests have already broken out in the Philippines and Indonesia in recent weeks, and Verisk Maplecroft warns that if pressure from food prices and supplies intensifies and governments are seen as responding ineffectively, it could lead to unrest and political instability in these high-risk countries. In countries already facing conflict, such as Afghanistan and Myanmar, a food shock could increase the risk of a humanitarian crisis.
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Capgemini Study Finds 68% of Executives Prioritize Climate Adaptation as Net Zero Gaps Widen
A new Capgemini Research Institute report finds that 68% of executives now say their organization actively prioritizes climate adaptation, up from 56% in 2025, yet only 15% have fully quantified the financial impact of climate-related disruptions. The fifth edition of A World in Balance: The resilience reset, based on a survey of 2,100 executives at 701 organizations with more than $1 billion in annual revenue across 13 countries, also shows the share of organizations falling behind on net zero goals rising to 11% in 2026 from 1% in 2025, with 29% saying they have postponed their net zero objectives, compared with just 8% last year. Nearly nine in 10 organizations report climate-related supply-chain disruptions, and more than seven in 10 executives say securing access to critical resources such as energy, water and materials now influences sustainability decisions more than emissions-reduction targets. Sustainability spending reached 1.04% of revenue last year, above the 0.8% initially allocated, and 83% of organizations plan to increase climate adaptation spending over the next 12 to 18 months. Cyril Garcia, Global head of Sustainability services and Corporate Responsibility at Capgemini, said climate disruptions have become the new normal and that leaders can no longer defer climate action.
