Guidewire Commits US$60m to Japanese Insurance Market

Guidewire, a provider of cloud-based core systems for property and casualty (P&C) insurers, has announced a US$60m investment over five years to strengthen its position in the Japanese insurance market. 

The investment aims to enhance the company's platform capabilities tailored to Japanese insurers' requirements and grow its local presence.

The California-based technology company has operated in Japan since 2008 and currently supports more than 10 Japanese insurance firms, including several tier-one insurers. 

According to company figures, over 60% of Japan's insurance gross written premium (GWP) – the total premiums written by an insurer before deductions – is processed through Guidewire's ClaimCenter product.

Platform enhancements

The investment includes specific enhancements to Guidewire's PolicyCenter and BillingCenter products to address the needs of Japanese insurers. 

These enhancements include policy change reversals, proration – the allocation of premiums or losses proportionally – and effective time capabilities.

The company is also localising support with Japanese language materials, documentation and training programmes. 

Additional features for the Japanese market are under development, including pre-built integrations for personal automobile insurance by mid-2026, plus expanded capabilities for homeowner, earthquake and commercial group policies planned for 2027.

Mike Rosenbaum, Chief Executive Officer at Guidewire, says: “Guidewire is honoured to have earned the trust of Japanese insurers by delivering the most comprehensive claims platform specifically tailored to their unique needs. 

“Over the next five years, we plan to invest more than $60 million to enhance our end-to-end cloud platform in Japan with powerful innovations like AI—helping our customers boost underwriting precision, accelerate speed to market, and operate with increasing agility.”

Market strategy and growth

The investment comes as Japanese insurers face mounting pressure to modernise legacy systems and comply with evolving regulations. 

Guidewire's expansion strategy focuses on supporting these companies' migration to cloud-based infrastructure, which can provide greater operational flexibility and reduced maintenance costs compared to on-premises solutions.

Shaji Sethu, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Guidewire, adds: “Japan is a key market for Guidewire, and we are committed to helping our customers transform their operations to stay competitive in an evolving landscape. 

“With increasing regulatory pressure and the challenges of legacy systems weighing heavily on Japanese insurers, we remain focused on supporting their successful migration to the cloud.”

Shaji continues: “Our goal is to drive measurable improvements in speed-to-market, underwriting effectiveness, and operational efficiency, empowering insurers to meet the rising expectations of both customers and regulators. We plan to do this by growing our team in Japan.”

Globally, Guidewire serves more than 570 insurance brands across 42 countries. The company maintains a research and development team and has completed over 1,700 implementation projects.

 Its marketplace provides integration applications to support localisation and innovation initiatives for property and casualty insurers.

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