Interest is building up in this year’s annual conference of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI), being held in Tokyo, September 17-20. New registrations by underwriters are still being received, but already the overall level of attendance seems likely to equal the Singapore conference in 2004, when the total was nearly 400. The London market alone will be represented by more than 40 underwriters from the Lloyd’s and company markets. The IUMI conference will be hosted by the General Insurance Association of Japan for the third time. The previous two occasions were in 1985 and 1995. Shoji Miyanaka (Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd.) is a vice-chairman on IUMI’s executive committee.