Many of the companies I contract for require that I have E&O insurance, and some also want an umbrella policy. I’ve checked the web and I don’t see a good resource for this in Japan. Can you suggest one?
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Clay
Is this for you as an individual, or as a business? If it’s as an individual, it looks like the Japanese Freelancer Association offers liability insurance. I saw some articles from earlier this year claiming it was the first one in Japan, so there might not be other options yet…
It’s for my business – as an IT contractor who works mainly for American and European customers, I am required to carry Errors & Omissions and general liability coverage for my business. I could get this coverage in 5 minutes in America or the U.K. through companies like Hiscox but I don’t think they’ll cover me once I move the business to Japan.
Thanks,
Clay
By business, I take it you already have a corporate entity in the US. If that’s the case, apart from Visa considerations, I don’t see much reason to create a company here, as long as you don’t take on Japanese clients. If you can keep your existing corporate entity, I don’t see why your physical location would effect the insurance, but that’s something you can easily check with them.
If you do need a Japanese corporate entity, I think the term you want to search for is “賠償責任の保険”. Sompo Japan Nipponkoa and MS&AD both seem to offer this type of insurance, including a package specialized for IT services.