Aflac Inc. has announced three planned leadership changes at its Japanese subsidiary, Aflac Life Insurance Japan Ltd. (Aflac Japan), effective 1 January 2027, as part of its long-term succession planning.
Shinsuke Morimoto, who currently serves as deputy president of Aflac Japan, will be promoted to president and representative director of the subsidiary, the American insurer said in a statement on Monday. In this role, he will be responsible for Aflac Japan’s overall business execution.
Morimoto will also join the Aflac Holdings LLC board of managers, which oversees the subsidiary as an insurance holding company licensed under Japan law.
Aflac Inc. president Virgil Miller said, “Shinsuke Morimoto has been with the Company for nearly four decades in positions of leadership across key areas, from Claims and Sales to Corporate Planning and Strategy.” He added that Morimoto played a vital role in developing Aflac Japan’s mid-term strategy and transforming the company’s marketing and sales organisation and human capital management system.
Masatoshi Koide, the current president and representative director of the Japanese subsidiary, will assume the role of chairman and representative director. In the role, he will lead Aflac Japan’s board of directors in conducting decision-making on important matters related to the subsidiary and oversee its business operations. He will continue to serve on the Aflac Holdings LLC board of managers.
Charles D. Lake II, who currently serves as chairman and representative director of Aflac Japan, will be appointed as executive advisor and take up the role of chairman of Aflac International, representing the company externally on international affairs. He will also continue to serve on the Aflac Holdings LLC board of managers.
Aflac also announced a leadership change at its US business, promoting Frederic J. Simard, deputy president of Aflac US, to president of the subsidiary. He will oversee strategy, distribution and operations.
The leadership changes follow a period of regulatory scrutiny for Aflac Japan, after Japan’s Financial Services Agency ordered the insurer in July to report on a data breach involving the personal information of around 4.38 million customers.
The action follows Aflac’s earlier disclosure that its policyholder website, Aflac Yorisou Net, and related systems had been illegally accessed, exposing customer and agency information.
