Report: Guidewire Insurance Forum Tokyo 2026

Report: Guidewire Insurance Forum Tokyo 2026

Guidewire Software (Headquarters: San Mateo, California, USA; CEO: Mike Rosenbaum), a platform provider driving digital transformation for over 570 property and casualty (P&C) insurers in 43 countries, hosted the 'Guidewire Insurance Forum Tokyo 2026' on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo.

In the keynote address, CEO Mike Rosenbaum positioned the emergence of generative AI as having a greater impact on the insurance industry than the invention of the database itself. He argued that AI adoption is not just about efficiency or cost reduction, but about creating the 'world's best customer experience,' which will be the true differentiator for companies. He highlighted Guidewire's platform strengths, including the development of internal 'AI agents' specialized for underwriting, claims, and customer service, integrated into their platform, as well as an open environment that connects with external AI models.

Following this, Miyuki Ebata, Representative of Guidewire Japan, explained the strategy for collaboration with clients in the Japanese market and the results of co-creation. Ebata described the future transformation of the P&C insurance industry using the term 'Fueki-Ryuko' (Immutable and Evolving). While firmly protecting the 'immutable essence' of high service quality and system robustness required by the industry, she emphasized the importance of rapidly incorporating 'constant changes' through cloud architecture and AI to achieve agility. Furthermore, she reported on the steady progress of the $60 million (approximately 9 billion yen) investment in the Japanese market announced last year, including staff expansion, regulatory compliance, and early-adopter examples of cloud usage, reaffirming Guidewire's commitment as a partner supporting industry renewal.

Next, Chief Product Development Officer Diego Devalle took the stage. He demonstrated innovations in the development environment utilizing AI services. By utilizing the 'Guidewire Agentic AI Framework' integrated into the latest platform, he demonstrated the 'Dev Assistant' function, where AI automatically generates and executes configuration files and code simply by receiving instructions in natural language in the dedicated 'DevSpace' environment. He emphasized that this will dramatically increase developer speed and efficiency, realizing a 'completely new way of working.'

In the second half of the event, domestic and international customers shared Guidewire success stories, and partner companies delivered presentations on their initiatives and solutions.

Customer case study sessions included 'Member-First Insurance Model: Customer Service Innovation and Sustainable Growth Strategy at CSAA Insurance Group' by Brad Lontz, EVP and CIO of CSAA Insurance Group, and 'Transforming Insurance Business Driven by Software: Digital Insurance Realized in 30 Days' by Shunsuke Takeda, Group Vice President, Sales & Strategy at MOTER Technologies.

Additionally, a customer discussion titled 'Beyond Core: The All-Out War of Guidewire Cloud Components Shaping the Future of Insurance' featured Osamu Yamanaka, Managing Executive Officer at SOMPO Direct General Insurance Inc., and Shunsuke Takeda of MOTER Technologies. They exchanged views on how to maximize the power of Guidewire Cloud to accelerate transformation and shape the future of insurance.

Furthermore, partner sessions included 'Innovation in Insurance Accelerated by AI' by Keiko Kakiuchi, Partner, and Kosuke Okada, Director, at PwC Consulting, and 'Advancing Insurance Operations through AI/Platform Utilization and Global Collaboration' by Jumpei Shimamura, Department Manager at NTT DATA Corporation, and John Harkin, Managing Director at Alchemy.

In addition, a session introducing the Guidewire User Group in Japan was held, bringing the successful event to a close.