Amid record temps, more people in Japan using PayPay app’s ‘heatstroke insurance’

TOKYO — As Japan’s rainy season has been declared over and the country enters the height of summer in a year with higher-than-normal predicted temperatures, more people are being treated for heatstroke, and the PayPay app’s “heatstroke insurance” is gaining attention.

According to PayPay Insurance Services Corp., within the Z Holdings Corporation group of companies, the number of applicants for its heatstroke insurance jumped from 20,000 on July 9 to over 30,000 on July 23. “As the weather gets hotter, more people are applying,” said one official.

Roughly half the applications are reportedly for family members such as spouses, children (in preparation for their school activities) and elderly parents who live elsewhere.

Users of the PayPay cashless payment app can sign up via the internal app PayPay Insurance. The heatstroke insurance plan is available between April and October. For courses where users choose the length of their plan, the cost starts at 100 yen (approx. $0.70) per day. When entering a plan by 9 a.m., the insurance takes effect at 10 a.m. the same day. If a person with the insurance develops heatstroke, the app will cover 10,000 yen (about $71) for drip treatments and 30,000 yen (roughly $212) for hospital stays of at least one night and two days.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, special emergency heatstroke alerts have been issued in different areas across Japan since the beginning of July, warning of dangerous heat. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency, an external agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, is calling for the proper use of air conditioning and thorough intake of fluids before one feels thirsty to prevent heatstroke.

(Japanese original by Tatsuya Michinaga, Business News Department)