JAPAN’S POST OFFICES TO OFFER MOTORBIKE LIABILITY COVER

Japanese post offices are to begin offering liability insurance policies for low-powered motorbikes, as part of government efforts to tackle the number of riders without insurance cover. The locally based Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reported that products supplied by private companies would be made available through 24,000 post office branches from the beginning of fiscal 2000. The cover would apply to motorbikes with engine displacement of 250cc or less, as well as motorised bicycles. Japan’s finance ministry was said to have decided on the action because many riders did not currently have liability insurance, while their motorbikes were not covered by periodic inspection regulations.