NEWS IN BRIEF

Four Japanese assurers... are expected to write down deferred tax assets to account for an imminent drop in the effective tax rate, reports Nikkei. Nippon Life is looking at a ¥180bn writedown; Dai-ichi is facing a writedown of ¥70bn to ¥90bn. Meiji Yasuda Life faces a writedown of ¥70bn, and Sumitomo Life will be taking a non-cash hit worth ¥45bn. Although the writedowns hit the bottom line, they do not impact core operating profit.