Earthquake Insurance Claims in Japan
The quake is over; the paperwork quake begins. This article covers the claim track only: how to file, how the adjuster grades damage, when money arrives, and why the payout rarely covers a rebuild.1 For the product itself (premiums, discounts, whether to buy), see the separate earthquake-insurance product guide.1
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details with your policy carrier and the General Insurance Rating Organization of Japan pages.
Overview
地震保険 (jishin-hoken, "earthquake insurance") is a rider on residential fire insurance covering quake, eruption, and resulting tsunami damage.1 Building and household-goods cover are assessed separately.12
Starting the claim
Contact the issuing carrier within days of the event or the aftershock sequence ending. Have the policy documents ready and note the policy number, insured property address, and visible damage before calling.1
Early contact holds an adjuster slot. Queues form immediately after major events, and late filers wait longest.1
The adjuster visit and the four-grade scale
The adjuster classifies damage on the government-prescribed earthquake-insurance scale, which is separate from the municipal housing-damage scale behind the disaster certificate.3 The four grades date to the January 2017 split of half loss into large and small.4
| Grade | Building test | Payout (share of quake insured amount) |
|---|---|---|
| 全損 (zenson, "total loss") | Main-structure damage at 50 percent or more of market value, or 70 percent or more floor-area burnout or washout | 100 percent |
| 大半損 (daihan-son, "large half loss") | 40 to 50 percent of market value, or 50 to 70 percent floor area | 60 percent |
| 小半損 (shōhan-son, "small half loss") | 20 to 40 percent of market value, or 20 to 50 percent floor area | 30 percent |
| 一部損 (ichibu-son, "partial loss") | 3 to 20 percent of market value, or qualifying flood depth below higher grades | 5 percent |
Each payout is capped at the corresponding share of market value.1 Household-goods bands run 80 percent or more, 60 to 80, 30 to 60, and 10 to 30 percent of the goods' market value for the same four grades.1 Building partial loss includes above-floor flooding or flooding beyond 45cm from ground level that reaches no higher grade.1
Payout timing
Clear cases typically pay one to three months after the adjuster visit, while complex or disputed cases run longer (as of 2026-09; confirm current timelines with your carrier).1 Keep the adjuster's contact and claim number until the transfer lands.
The coverage cap and under-insurance reality
By statute the rider insures only 30 to 50 percent of the fire-policy amount, with caps of 50M yen for buildings and 10M yen for household goods.12 A total-loss quake therefore typically leaves you under-insured against full replacement cost.1
Compare the fire amount against current rebuild costs, then confirm the quake rider still sits at your chosen share. Raising a static rider after construction inflation closes the gap before the next event.1
Good to know
The earthquake scale is not the municipal damage scale
The certificate grade and the payout grade share vocabulary but not assessors. One municipal surveyor and one carrier adjuster can grade the same house differently, and both grades stand in their own tracks.3
Photograph damage before cleanup where safe
Adjusters assess what they can see. Dated photos of cracks, tilts, waterlines, and ruined goods protect the grade when repairs precede the visit.1
Recheck coverage at every renewal
A rider fixed years ago quietly shrinks against rising rebuild costs. The renewal notice is the cheapest moment to fix it.1
See also
- Fire Insurance and the Carrier-Substitution Trick
- What Insurance Doesn't Cover
- Setting Up an Emergency Fund Adapted to Japan
- The Property Purchase Process
- Earthquake Insurance (Jishin Hoken)
- The Disaster Certificate (Risai Shomeisho)