Ryan Moran, "Selling the Future: Community, Hope, and Crisis in the Early History of Japanese Life Insurance" (Cornell UP, 2024)
Nov 29, 2024
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Ryan Moran is the author of "Selling the Future: Community, Hope, and Crisis in the Early History of Japanese Life Insurance." He explores Japan's life insurance industry from the 1880s to 1945, highlighting its role in shaping societal dynamics, including gender roles and economic responsibilities. Moran discusses the emotional strategies used to build trust and community. He reveals how insurance influenced health initiatives and national identity, and how it adapted during wartime, serving both as a financial safety net and a tool for national resilience.
The early Japanese life insurance industry exploited societal anxieties to create a sense of certainty amidst rapid changes, appealing to both community and individual hopes.
Gender dynamics evolved within the life insurance sector, initially targeting elite men while gradually integrating women into sales, reflecting broader societal shifts in post-war Japan.
The postal life insurance system, Kampo, emerged as a safety net for marginalized laborers, promoting financial responsibility and solidarity amid industrialization challenges.
Deep dives
The Origins of Japanese Life Insurance
The life insurance industry in Japan began in the early 1880s, heavily influenced by Western models, particularly British and German systems. The introduction of the first mortality tables, such as the 17 offices mortality table from England, marked a significant milestone for Japanese insurers. These companies aimed to create a more secure future for policyholders by accumulating data on the population, promoting the idea that insurance could ensure an enhanced standard of living. However, a tension arose between the collective security promised by insurance for the community and the unpredictable nature of individual experiences under the pressures of a rapidly changing society.
The Role of Gender and Class in Insurance
Life insurance in Japan was initially marketed towards elite men, positioning it as a means to secure both their social status and the financial future of their families. The industry capitalized on emerging discourses around masculinity, where premium rates could be influenced by an applicant's lifestyle choices, health history, and occupation. As the insurance market evolved, women began to take a more prominent role in selling policies, reflecting broader societal shifts regarding gender roles in post-war Japan. The endowment contracts offered a blend of savings and insurance, further emphasizing the gendered aspects of financial responsibility and household management.
The Impact of Social Insurance Systems
The formation of the postal life insurance system, Kampo, in 1916 aimed to address the needs of laborers who had been marginalized by industrialization. This low-cost insurance scheme emerged as a crucial safety net, promoting responsible financial habits among workers while attempting to reintegrate them into the national community. By providing basic insurance without medical inspections, Kampo sought to alleviate concerns surrounding labor unrest, contributing to the perceived stability of Japanese society during this transformative period. It was designed to foster a sense of solidarity among workers, reinforcing their importance as productive members of the nation.
Health Promotion and the Insurance Industry
Public health initiatives, such as radio calisthenics, became intertwined with the goals of both the life insurance industry and the nation. These initiatives aimed to increase health consciousness among the populace, encouraging people to engage in preventative healthcare practices. The insurance industry played a role in promoting healthy lifestyles as a means to ensure the longevity of their customers and mitigate risks associated with illness. This approach was not just about personal health but framed as a collective responsibility to enhance national strength during a time when Japan sought to assert itself on the global stage.
Life Insurance During Wartime and Its Aftermath
During World War II, the Japanese life insurance industry adapted quickly to support the wartime economy by diverting resources from consumption to savings in the form of insurance. This approach helped sustain the war effort, allowing families to secure financial futures despite the ongoing conflict. However, massive civilian casualties and the destruction caused by bombings at the war's end necessitated a reevaluation of the insurance landscape. The industry rapidly rebounded post-war, illustrating its resilience and the effective strategies employed in reestablishing itself within a transformed capitalist society, and continuing to influence notions of responsibility and adulthood.
Ryan Moran’s Selling the Future: Community, Hope, and Crisis in the Early History of Japanese Life Insurance (Cornell UP, 2023) is a history of the life insurance industry in Japan from its origins in the early 1880s to Japan’s surrender in 1945. Moran shows how both private and public insurers exploited a mix of “certainty, fear, and optimism” to promise a secure utopia on the back of anxiety. Along the way, the industry mobilized surveys and other statistical data to create a new aggregate and quantifiable subject. This was tied up with the ways in which life insurance helped shape new visions of labor, gender and the family, and responsibility at the individual, family, and national levels. In an unpredictable time of relentless change and seemingly constant crisis, life insurance offered a predictable future. As Moran shows, life insurance is a surprisingly useful lens for examining how bodies and money were disciplined and mobilized within a modernizing capitalist empire.
