GIAJ lays down countermeasures vs. illegal home repairers

They disseminate information to areas affected by natural calamities.

The General Insurance Association of Japan (GIAJ) took several countermeasures against illegal home repairers who try to gain profit unfairly by taking advantage of the natural disasters that happened in Japan months ago.

Giichi Shirakawa, GIAJ Chairman, stated that every branch of the insurance association disseminated related information by preparing leaflets in cooperation with local governments and the police and conducted educational activities with consumer affairs centres.

They also distributed file folders with an alert message to call attention to those home repairers in areas with heavy snowfall.

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Shirakawa also noted that GIAJ is cooperating with the Independent Insurance Agents of Japan to send out e-mails to policyholders living in areas under the Disaster Relief Act following Typhoons Nandamol and Talas in 2022 and where heavy snowfall occurred due to the cold wave last January.

They also conducted a questionnaire survey among agents in those affected areas “to determine the actual status of contact points between customers and home repairers, methods of informing customers, and other efforts.”

GIAJ, with the National Association of Shinkin Banks, also informed the Shinkin banks, or cooperative regional financial institutions, regarding illegal home repairers and the measures taken.

Articles and flyers are publicized in magazines to alert the readers about the problem.

GIAJ also posted digital advertisements warning the general consumers about illegal home repairers on the websites of each related organisation.

Founded in 1917, GIAJ promotes sound development, maintains the reliability of the general insurance business in Japan, and contributes to “a secure and safe society.”

The insurance association is focused on its five pillars — enhancing communications, improving the quality of business processes, developing business infrastructure, contributing to the safety and security of society, and giving to the global community.