EXCLUSIVE: Aioi Nissay to Utilize Driving Data in Uzbekistan

Tokyo, March 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co. will launch a business to collect and utilize automobile driving data in Uzbekistan, Jiji Press learned Thursday. The company aims to begin selling onboard equipment and offering related services in the Central Asian country by the end of March next year. It hopes to analyze collected vehicle travel data to help reduce traffic accidents and traffic congestion there. In Japan, through data collection and analysis, Aioi Nissay focuses on telematics insurance products whose premiums vary based on driver characteristics. Using its technology and expertise, the company will expand its business into Uzbekistan, where vehicle ownership has increased rapidly and traffic accidents have become a social issue. A safe-driving score will be calculated from the collected data to help local nonlife insurers set premiums that reflect accident risks. Aioi Nissay has conducted a demonstration experiment with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Uzbek government and local nonlife insurance companies. Communication devices were installed in the vehicles of local nonlife insurance company employees to analyze data on vehicle location and speed. Based on the test results, Aioi Nissay and the Uzbek government signed a memorandum of understanding last December to develop a project in Uzbekistan. The Japanese government is strengthening cooperation with Central Asia, which serves as a geopolitical hub connecting Europe and Asia. Last December, a business forum was held in Tokyo to coincide with a summit meeting of Japan and the five Central Asian countries, where more than 100 cooperation documents involving both public and private sectors were exchanged between Japan and the five nations, including those of the Aioi Nissay project. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]