Hokan®︎, an insurance agency system, plans to launch "Comparative Recommendation Operation Support Service" in Fall 2026

Hokan Inc. (Hokan, Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Izuru Yokotsuka, hereinafter referred to as "our company"), which provides the cloud-based insurance agency system "hokan®︎" that realizes "appropriate sales activities" and "a robust organizational audit system," is launching a new service for insurance agencies called the "Comparative Recommendation Operation Support Service" (hereinafter referred to as "this service"). We are pleased to announce that we have conducted a PoC (Proof of Concept) with Hoken no Zenbu Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Yohei Miyauchi) starting in June, and plan to launch the service in Fall 2026. Additionally, upon request, Hokuto General Law Offices (Main Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Member of the Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association. hereinafter referred to as "Hokuto General") offers a legal advisory service regarding the revised comparative recommendation sales rules, which can be utilized separately.

For insurance agencies, utilizing the technological operational infrastructure of the cloud-based insurance agency system "hokan®︎" will enable smooth adaptation to the new regulatory environment. Furthermore, by selecting and utilizing Hokuto General's legal expertise, it will be possible to aim for the establishment of a more robust compliance system.

Our company will continue to accelerate the "construction of a platform for insurance industry distribution," which will become a new standard in the ever-changing industry environment, under the mission of "updating and upgrading the insurance industry." We will also strive to provide highly specialized support systems to become the deepest foundation for insurance agencies and insurance companies, contributing to the sustainable growth and development of the entire industry through technology.

Background

Recently, with the enforcement of revised Insurance Business Act regulations and revised supervisory guidelines approaching, the following issues have become increasingly serious in the field regarding the review of operational designs for "comparative recommendation sales" in insurance sales, as well as the development of regulations and record-keeping, and manager monitoring:

Difficulty in judging the appropriateness of operations: Even if an operational flow is established, there is no certainty whether it is "sufficient" from a legal and audit perspective. It is difficult for both the field staff and managers to have a common understanding.

Discrepancy between regulations and actual operations: It is difficult to determine the level of detail when revising internal regulations and sales rules to align with actual operations and to implement them in system operations.

Product information gathering is personalized: The collection and updating of product information from each insurance company are left to the person in charge. The burden of keeping up with new products, revisions, and sales suspensions is high, and up-to-date information is not maintained.

Through the provision of "hokan®︎," our company has supported the efficiency of sales operations and the sophistication of governance. In addition, based on the expertise of our in-house lawyers, we have strived to share knowledge across the industry in various forms such as seminars and columns, by providing practical interpretations of public materials from administrative agencies and industry organizations, and proposing solutions through our system.

However, due to differences in operational responses and unique operational practices for each insurance agency, we have received strong requests from the field for individualized (customizable) support, such as "I understand the outline of the system, but I cannot determine if our company's sales flow and regulations are legally permissible" and "I would like to receive expert support for our company's specific operational rules."

In response to these circumstances, to provide effective solutions for the inherent challenges of each company, we, with our system infrastructure and industry knowledge, and Hokuto General, which handles practical consultations for the insurance industry on a daily basis, have established a system to consistently support the implementation of operations for each insurance agency by offering services independently in their respective fields.

Overview of this Service

This service is based on common support content, including system support for building a smooth operational system for "hokan®︎" provided by our company, and providing product summaries from multiple insurance companies. In addition, if requested, a legal advisory service regarding the revised comparative recommendation sales rules provided by Hokuto General can be contracted separately*1, depending on the size of the insurance agency, its current system readiness, and the direction of its desired compliance system.

Furthermore, the support provided by our company as an "advisor for system and operational aspects" and the "legal advice and support" provided by Hokuto General will be clearly separated.

*1 It is also possible to receive only Hokuto General's services without using our company's service.

Service Overview (Planned)

[Contractual Form and Notes]

* Customers wishing to use Hokuto General's services will need to enter into a direct contract with Hokuto General, separate from their contract with our company. (Hokuto General will determine whether or not to conclude a contract with Hokuto General).

* Our company provides this service as an "advisor for system and operational technology aspects" and does not provide legal advice or support.

* The contract between our company and Hokuto General is completely independent, and our company does not arrange, intermediate, or broker contracts with Hokuto General.

* For details of the contract with Hokuto General, please contact Hokuto General.

* Other costs and service details will be announced at briefing sessions planned after the release of this service.

* The service content described above is planned as of this date and is subject to change without notice.

Representative Comments

Takeo Nakahara, Lawyer, Hokuto General Law Offices (Member of the Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association)

Responding to the revised comparative recommendation sales rules is arguably the most critical management issue that all multi-agency agents must address. In the past, multi-agency agents often resolved legal issues with the support of insurance companies, but responding to these comparative recommendation sales rules is a legal challenge that multi-agency agents must resolve through their own deliberations. We will support multi-agency agents in resolving their challenges from the perspective of legal knowledge.

Taichi Ishino, Executive Officer, General Manager of Agency Business Division, Hokan Inc.

Multi-agency insurance agents must accurately grasp each company's product information, appropriately establish their own sales flow, and provide training to their staff, based on the "duty of good faith and fairness considering the best interests of the customer."

On the other hand, we hear many concerns about the lack of sufficient personnel and resources to implement this. As Hokan, we want to provide value to agencies beyond just the system, and support them in realizing the ideal operational management for future multi-agency insurance agents.

System readiness is an important element of a company's competitive strategy, and the approach should not be based on a "package conceived by someone else," but rather on how the company interacts with its customers and provides value.

Hokan will continue to strengthen its support for agencies that are committed to this aspect.

PoC Participating Company Comments

Yohei Miyauchi, President and Representative Director, Hoken no Zenbu Inc.

Responding to the revised comparative recommendation sales rules is one of the most important management issues for our company, and we recognize it as a theme directly linked to maintaining and improving the trust of all stakeholders, including customers, insurance companies, financial regulators, and internal staff.

In this context, we believe that this initiative, which provides specialized knowledge from legal and compliance perspectives in addition to system-based operational support, is extremely meaningful for enhancing our internal regulations and sales processes in line with our actual business operations.

Through this PoC, we aim to further improve transparency, accountability, and operational quality in comparative recommendation sales, further enhance our sales system readiness, and build a sustainable value-providing system as an agency that customers can consult with greater peace of mind.

We will continue to work towards realizing a sound and reliable insurance sales system while emphasizing appropriate communication with each stakeholder.

Inquiries

Hokan Inc.

[email protected]

Inquiries to Hokuto General Law Offices

Main Phone Number (03-3221-9873)

(Contact: Lawyer Yaichi Tsukamoto, Lawyer Shigeki Matayoshi)

Overview of "hokan®︎", a customer and contract management service for insurance agencies

"hokan®︎", a customer and contract management system primarily for insurance agencies, is a system that centrally manages information from prospects to policy maintenance and connects it to information aggregation/analysis. Since its release in 2018, it has expanded its customer base, achieving adoption in agencies and branches in all 47 prefectures in 2022. It is characterized by its ease of use, flexibility in customization, support capabilities, and product update capabilities that align with the requests of insurance solicitors who are customers of this system, and it streamlines the administrative tasks that have increased with the revised Insurance Business Act. It is used by a diverse range of agencies, including life insurance, non-life insurance, corporate agencies, and bank-affiliated agencies.

hokan Introduction Page: https://www.hkn.jp Inquiry Page: https://hkn.jp/contact/ *hokan and the hokan logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hokan Inc.

Overview of Hokan Inc.

We provide the customer and contract management service "hokan®︎" for insurance agencies with the aim of "updating and upgrading the insurance industry." Leveraging our expertise in providing software services with the support of many insurance industry stakeholders, we will create a society where everyone can enjoy insurance products correctly and appropriately by applying the latest technology to the insurance industry.

Corporate Site: https://www.corp.hkn.jp/