Fuji Fire & Marine Insurance Co. said Wednesday it will start a service in March under which staff will be dispatched to disaster sites so customers can quickly complete paperwork and receive insurance payments in as little as three days.
The company will use four cars converted into mobile offices, each with a computer, wireless LAN and a satellite phone, so employees can punch in information on damage and receive the green light from the head office to make disbursements.
When a typhoon hit Kyushu in September, it took about a month for Fuji Fire to make payouts. It said the new service will allow customers to receive money in three days at the earliest.
"This car allows us to provide speedy services relating to claim payments to suffering areas in case of natural disasters," said Fuji Fire President Bijan Khosrowshahi, an American who has led the company since June 2004.
U.S.-based AIU Insurance Co. already offers a similar service in Japan, but Fuji Fire is the first Japanese insurer to offer it.