Life insurance gets convenient in Japan

Big Gulp, jumbo beef frank, and the assurance that one’s spouse and children will not go without in the event of one’s untimely death.

7-Eleven stores in Japan will soon begin offering life insurance out of “multifunction” vending machines, according to a report in Barron’s on Monday.

Seems strange? Not for Japanese consumers, or tourists, who have come accustomed to purchasing such items as socks, beetles and origami from vending machines, according to the report.

The life insurance policies will be offered by Japan’s MS&AD Insurance Group, the magazine reported. No further details were available in the article.