Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Monday, January 1, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, causing widespread destruction.
The earthquake also generated a tsunami measuring up to 1.2 m along the Sea of Japan. There are tsunami warnings in place for several prefectures. If you're in an affected area, move to higher ground, monitor the media, and follow the advice of local authorities. Travellers in these areas may experience disruption to their travel plans.
As the earthquake is being widely reported in the media, any policies purchased after 18:00 AET on Monday 1 January 2024 will not provide cover for losses arising from these events. This does not impact cover provided by policies purchased prior to this time, subject to the terms of the policy.
Note: Cover offered by travel insurance policies issued and managed by nib Travel Services (Australia) Pty may vary. Please read your PDS for full details of cover.
If you’re already travelling
If you’re a COTA Travel Insurance customer/traveller and require emergency assistance due to this event, please contact our Emergency Assistance team as soon as it’s practicable and safe to do so.
For the latest advice on travel in Japan, visit http://smartraveller.gov.au/
How does this event affect your cover? COTA policies do not provide cover for any losses which arise from:
• Your choice to travel to, or remain in a destination where there are Do Not Travel warnings in place.
This does not affect coverage under our policies for travel to other regions or destinations subject to the policy terms and conditions.
All other terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions continue to apply.
Before planning travel, please check the government advice applicable to your policy and monitor media coverage.
If your travel plans are affected If you need to change your travel arrangements, contact your airline, cruise company or travel agent for assistance in the first instance.
In the event you need to claim, you must do everything you can to minimise and reduce the cost of the claim and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred. If you intend to submit a claim, please complete the claim form and if you need help doing this, contact us.
If you have any other queries, please get in touch.