INVESTMENTS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Investments [Abstract]

INVESTMENTS

INVESTMENTS

Investment Holdings

The amortized cost for our investments in debt and perpetual securities, the cost for equity securities and the fair values of these investments are shown in the following tables.

	March 31, 2017
(In millions)	Cost or Amortized Cost			Gross Unrealized Gains			Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair   Value
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies		$	26,311		$	3,203		$	366		$	29,148
Municipalities		281			26			12			295
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		272			32			0			304
Public utilities		1,637			324			6			1,955
Sovereign and supranational		846			133			6			973
Banks/financial institutions		3,039			414			83			3,370
Other corporate		3,429			596			16			4,009
Total yen-denominated		35,815			4,728			489			40,054
U.S. dollar-denominated:
U.S. government and agencies		161			11			0			172
Municipalities		901			133			7			1,027
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		184			16			0			200
Public utilities		5,296			669			77			5,888
Sovereign and supranational		326			87			0			413
Banks/financial institutions		2,680			513			18			3,175
Other corporate		24,898			1,972			722			26,148
Total U.S. dollar-denominated		34,446			3,401			824			37,023
Total fixed maturities		70,261			8,129			1,313			77,077
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions		1,315			208			50			1,473
Other corporate		196			23			0			219
U.S. dollar-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions		52			26			0			78
Total perpetual securities		1,563			257			50			1,770
Equity securities:
Yen-denominated		668			63			10			721
U.S. dollar-denominated		584			55			11			628
Total equity securities		1,252			118			21			1,349
Total securities available for sale		$	73,076		$	8,504		$	1,384		$	80,196

	March 31, 2017
(In millions)	Cost or Amortized Cost			Gross Unrealized Gains			Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair   Value
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies		$	21,493		$	5,114		$	0		$	26,607
Municipalities		363			104			0			467
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		30			2			0			32
Public utilities		3,324			376			7			3,693
Sovereign and supranational		2,702			307			0			3,009
Banks/financial institutions		3,650			204			24			3,830
Other corporate		2,839			446			0			3,285
Total yen-denominated		34,401			6,553			31			40,923
Total securities held to maturity		$	34,401		$	6,553		$	31		$	40,923

	December 31, 2016
(In millions)	Cost or Amortized Cost			Gross Unrealized Gains			Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair   Value
Securities available for sale, carried at fair value:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies		$	22,857		$	3,359		$	160		$	26,056
Municipalities		246			29			8			267
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		1,096			33			8			1,121
Public utilities		1,533			318			3			1,848
Sovereign and supranational		862			186			5			1,043
Banks/financial institutions		2,673			403			74			3,002
Other corporate		3,192			623			3			3,812
Total yen-denominated		32,459			4,951			261			37,149
U.S dollar-denominated:
U.S. government and agencies		148			10			0			158
Municipalities		894			142			8			1,028
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		196			20			0			216
Public utilities		5,205			690			60			5,835
Sovereign and supranational		335			91			0			426
Banks/financial institutions		2,570			507			16			3,061
Other corporate		24,556			2,021			690			25,887
Total U.S. dollar-denominated		33,904			3,481			774			36,611
Total fixed maturities		66,363			8,432			1,035			73,760
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions		1,266			128			49			1,345
Other corporate		189			24			0			213
U.S. dollar-denominated:
Banks/financial institutions		51			24			0			75
Total perpetual securities		1,506			176			49			1,633
Equity securities:
Yen-denominated		624			83			2			705
U.S. dollar-denominated		579			31			6			604
Total equity securities		1,203			114			8			1,309
Total securities available for sale		$	69,072		$	8,722		$	1,092		$	76,702

	December 31, 2016
(In millions)	Cost or Amortized Cost			Gross Unrealized Gains			Gross Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
Securities held to maturity, carried at amortized cost:
Fixed maturities:
Yen-denominated:
Japan government and agencies		$	20,702		$	5,338		$	0		$	26,040
Municipalities		350			107			0			457
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		30			2			0			32
Public utilities		3,201			358			23			3,536
Sovereign and supranational		2,602			283			8			2,877
Banks/financial institutions		3,731			195			26			3,900
Other corporate		2,734			452			7			3,179
Total yen-denominated		33,350			6,735			64			40,021
Total securities held to maturity		$	33,350		$	6,735		$	64		$	40,021

The methods of determining the fair values of our investments in fixed-maturity securities, perpetual securities and equity securities are described in Note 5.

During the first three months of 2017 and 2016, respectively, we did not reclassify any investments from the held-to-maturity category to the available-for-sale category.

Contractual and Economic Maturities

The contractual maturities of our investments in fixed maturities at March 31, 2017, were as follows:

	Aflac Japan						Aflac U.S.
(In millions)	Amortized Cost			Fair Value			Amortized Cost			Fair   Value
Available for sale:
Due in one year or less		$	145		$	161		$	74		$	77
Due after one year through five years		3,561			3,788			664			716
Due after five years through 10 years		9,846			10,093			3,128			3,324
Due after 10 years		43,392			48,447			8,462			9,421
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		316			361			43			47
Total fixed maturities available for sale		$	57,260		$	62,850		$	12,371		$	13,585
Held to maturity:
Due after one year through five years		$	2,086		$	2,193		$	0		$	0
Due after five years through 10 years		1,645			1,813			0			0
Due after 10 years		30,640			36,884			0			0
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities		30			33			0			0
Total fixed maturities held to maturity		$	34,401		$	40,923		$	0		$	0

At March 31, 2017, the Parent Company and other business segments had portfolios of available-for-sale fixed-maturity securities totaling $630 million at amortized cost and $642 million at fair value, which are not included in the table above.

Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because some issuers have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

The majority of our perpetual securities are subordinated to other debt obligations of the issuer, but rank higher than the issuer's equity securities. Perpetual securities have characteristics of both debt and equity investments, along with unique features that create economic maturity dates for the securities. Although perpetual securities have no contractual maturity date, they have stated interest coupons that were fixed at their issuance and subsequently change to a floating short-term interest rate after some period of time. The instruments are generally callable by the issuer at the time of changing from a fixed coupon rate to a new variable rate of interest, which is determined by the combination of some market index plus a fixed amount of basis points. The net effect is to create an expected maturity date for the instrument. The economic maturities of our investments in perpetual securities, which were all reported as available for sale at March 31, 2017, were as follows:

	Aflac Japan						Aflac U.S.
(In millions)	Amortized Cost			Fair Value			Amortized Cost			Fair   Value
Due in one year or less		$	90		$	87		$	0		$	0
Due after one year through five years		196			219			0			0
Due after 10 years		1,238			1,407			39			57
Total perpetual securities available for sale		$	1,524		$	1,713		$	39		$	57

Investment Concentrations

Our process for investing in credit-related investments begins with an independent approach to underwriting each issuer's fundamental credit quality. We evaluate independently those factors which we believe could influence an issuer's ability to make payments under the contractual terms of our instruments. This includes a thorough analysis of a variety of items including the issuer's country of domicile (including political, legal, and financial considerations); the industry in which the issuer competes (with an analysis of industry structure, end-market dynamics, and regulation); company specific issues (such as management, assets, earnings, cash generation, and capital needs); and contractual provisions of the instrument (such as financial covenants and position in the capital structure). We further evaluate the investment considering broad business and portfolio management objectives, including asset/liability needs, portfolio diversification, and expected income.

Investment exposures that individually exceeded 10% of shareholders' equity were as follows:

	March 31, 2017			December 31, 2016
(In millions)	Credit Rating	Amortized Cost	Fair Value	Credit Rating	Amortized Cost	Fair Value
Japan National Government(1)	A	$47,131	$54,971	A	$42,931	$51,345

⁽¹⁾Japan Government Bonds (JGBs) or JGB-backed securities

Realized Investment Gains and Losses

Information regarding pretax realized gains and losses from investments is as follows:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
(In millions)	2017			2016
Realized investment gains (losses):
Fixed maturities:
Available for sale:
Gross gains from sales	$	12		$	2
Gross losses from sales(1)	(15		)	(4		)
Net gains (losses) from redemptions(1)	(29		)	83
Other-than-temporary impairment losses(1)	(4		)	(12		)
Total fixed maturities	(36		)	69
Perpetual securities:
Available for sale:
Net gains (losses) from redemptions	0			10			(1)
Other-than-temporary impairment losses	0			(2		)	(1)
Total perpetual securities	0			8
Equity securities:
Net gains (losses) from redemptions	25			0
Other-than-temporary impairment losses	(6		)	0
Total equity securities	19			0
Derivatives and other:
Derivative gains (losses)	(52		)	(4		)
Foreign currency gains (losses)	(71		)	(43		)
Total derivatives and other	(123		)	(47		)
Total realized investment gains (losses)	$	(140	)	$	30

⁽¹⁾ Primarily driven by foreign exchange

Unrealized Investment Gains and Losses

Effect on Shareholders’ Equity

The net effect on shareholders’ equity of unrealized gains and losses from investment securities was as follows:

(In millions)	March 31, 2017				December 31, 2016
Unrealized gains (losses) on securities available for sale		$	7,120			$	7,630
Deferred income taxes		(2,646		)		(2,825		)
Shareholders’ equity, unrealized gains (losses) on investment securities		$	4,474			$	4,805

Gross Unrealized Loss Aging

The following tables show the fair values and gross unrealized losses of our available-for-sale and held-to-maturity investments that were in an unrealized loss position, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position.

	March 31, 2017
	Total						Less than 12 months						12 months or longer
(In millions)	Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses
Fixed Maturities:
Japan government and agencies:
Yen-denominated		$	5,940		$	366		$	5,940		$	366		$	0		$	0
Municipalities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		45			7			0			0			45			7
Yen-denominated		132			12			132			12			0			0
Public utilities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		1,642			77			1,124			37			518			40
Yen-denominated		325			13			127			6			198			7
Sovereign and supranational:
Yen-denominated		39			6			39			6			0			0
Banks/financial institutions:
U.S. dollar-denominated		390			18			309			6			81			12
Yen-denominated		1,531			107			646			34			885			73
Other corporate:
U.S. dollar-denominated		10,690			722			7,046			272			3,644			450
Yen-denominated		415			16			415			16			0			0
Total fixed maturities		21,149			1,344			15,778			755			5,371			589
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated		409			50			0			0			409			50
Total perpetual securities		409			50			0			0			409			50
Equity securities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		131			11			117			8			14			3
Yen-denominated		208			10			172			5			36			5
Total equity securities		339			21			289			13			50			8
Total		$	21,897		$	1,415		$	16,067		$	768		$	5,830		$	647

	December 31, 2016
	Total						Less than 12 months						12 months or longer
(In millions)	Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses			Fair Value			Unrealized Losses
Fixed Maturities:
Japan government and agencies:
Yen-denominated		$	3,958		$	160		$	3,958		$	160		$	0		$	0
Municipalities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		44			8			0			0			44			8
Yen-denominated		105			8			105			8			0			0
Mortgage- and asset- backed securities:
Yen-denominated		713			8			713			8			0			0
Public utilities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		1,265			60			790			32			475			28
Yen-denominated		635			26			347			14			288			12
Sovereign and supranational:
Yen-denominated		244			13			38			5			206			8
Banks/financial institutions:
U.S. dollar-denominated		268			16			238			10			30			6
Yen-denominated		1,521			100			636			19			885			81
Other corporate:
U.S. dollar-denominated		10,462			690			7,252			346			3,210			344
Yen-denominated		321			10			321			10			0			0
Total fixed maturities		19,536			1,099			14,398			612			5,138			487
Perpetual securities:
Yen-denominated		479			49			85			1			394			48
Total perpetual securities		479			49			85			1			394			48
Equity securities:
U.S. dollar-denominated		211			6			211			6			0			0
Yen-denominated		49			2			49			2			0			0
Total equity securities		260			8			260			8			0			0
Total		$	20,275		$	1,156		$	14,743		$	621		$	5,532		$	535

Analysis of Securities in Unrealized Loss Positions

The unrealized losses on our fixed maturity or perpetual securities investments have been primarily related to general market changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and/or the levels of credit spreads rather than specific concerns with the issuer's ability to pay interest and repay principal. The unrealized losses on our investments in equity securities are primarily related to foreign exchange rates, general market conditions which reflect prospects for the economy as a whole, or specific information pertaining to an industry or an individual company.

For any significant declines in fair value of our fixed income or perpetual securities, we perform a more focused review of the related issuers' credit profile. For corporate issuers, we evaluate their assets, business profile including industry dynamics and competitive positioning, financial statements and other available financial data. For non-corporate issuers, we analyze all sources of credit support, including issuer-specific factors. We utilize information available in the public domain and, for certain private placement issuers, from consultations with the issuers directly. We also consider ratings from Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs), as well as the specific characteristics of the security we own including seniority in the issuer's capital structure, covenant predictions, or other relevant features. From these reviews, we evaluate the issuers' continued ability to service our investment through payment of interest and principal.

For any significant declines in fair value of our equity securities, we review the severity of the security’s decline in fair value coupled with the length of time the fair value of the security has been below cost. We also perform a more focused review of the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer as well as general market conditions reflecting the prospects for the economy as a whole, and determine whether we have the intent to hold the securities until they recover in value.

Assuming no credit-related factors develop, unrealized gains and losses on fixed maturities and perpetual securities are expected to diminish as investments near maturity. Based on our credit analysis, we believe that the issuers of our fixed maturity and perpetual security investments in the sectors shown in the table above have the ability to service their obligations to us.

Other Investments

The table below reflects the composition of the carrying value for other investments as of the periods presented.

(In millions)	March 31, 2017			December 31, 2016
Other investments:
Commercial mortgage loans		$	870		$	855
Middle market loans		439			319
Short-term investments		141			89
Policy loans		197			184
Other		54			3
Total other investments		$	1,701		$	1,450

Loans and Loan Receivables

We classify our commercial mortgage loans (CMLs) and middle market loans (MMLs) as held-for-investment and include them in the other investments line on the consolidated balance sheets. We carry them on the balance sheet at amortized cost less an estimated allowance for loan losses. Our loan allowance for losses is established using both specific and general allowances. The specific allowance is used on an individual loan basis for those impaired loans where we expect to incur a loss. The general allowance is used for loans grouped by similar risk characteristics where a loan-specific or market-specific risk has not been identified, but for which we anticipate to incur a loss. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our allowance for loan losses was $4 million and $3 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had no loans that were past due in regards to principal and/or interest payments. Additionally, we held no loans that were on nonaccrual status or considered impaired as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. We had no troubled debt restructurings during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

Middle Market Loans

The carrying value for middle market loans included an unfunded amount of $135 million and $91 million, as of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, respectively, that is reflected in other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets.

As of March 31, 2017, we had commitments of $658 million to fund potential future loan originations related to this investment program, inclusive of loans held in unit trust structures. These commitments are contingent upon the availability of middle market loans that meet our underwriting criteria.

Commercial Mortgage Loans

As of March 31, 2017, we had $18 million in outstanding commitments to fund commercial mortgage loans, inclusive of loans held in unit trust structures. These commitments are contingent on the final underwriting and due diligence to be performed.

Variable Interest Entities (VIEs)

As a condition of our involvement or investment in a VIE, we enter into certain protective rights and covenants that preclude changes in the structure of the VIE that would alter the creditworthiness of our investment or our beneficial interest in the VIE.

For those VIEs other than certain unit trust structures, our involvement is passive in nature. We are not, nor have we been, required to purchase any securities issued in the future by these VIEs.

Our ownership interest in VIEs is limited to holding the obligations issued by them. We have no direct or contingent obligations to fund the limited activities of these VIEs, nor do we have any direct or indirect financial guarantees related to the limited activities of these VIEs. We have not provided any assistance or any other type of financing support to any of the VIEs we invest in, nor do we have any intention to do so in the future. For those VIEs in which we hold debt obligations, the weighted-average lives of our notes are very similar to the underlying collateral held by these VIEs where applicable.

We also utilize unit trust structures in our Aflac Japan segment to invest in various asset classes. As the sole investor of these VIEs, we are required to consolidate these entities under U.S. GAAP.

Our risk of loss related to our interests in any of our VIEs is limited to the carrying value of the related investments held in the VIE.

VIEs - Consolidated

The following table presents the cost or amortized cost, fair value and balance sheet caption in which the assets and liabilities of consolidated VIEs are reported.

Investments in Consolidated Variable Interest Entities

	March 31, 2017						December 31, 2016
(In millions)	Cost or Amortized Cost			Fair Value			Cost or Amortized Cost			Fair Value
Assets:
Fixed maturities, available for sale		$	4,143		$	4,964		$	4,168		$	4,982
Perpetual securities, available for sale		246			215			237			208
Equity securities		1,013			1,078			972			1,044
Other investments (1)		926			906			819			789
Other assets (2)		146			146			127			127
Total assets of consolidated VIEs		$	6,474		$	7,309		$	6,323		$	7,150
Liabilities:
Other liabilities (2)		$	125		$	125		$	146		$	146
Total liabilities of consolidated VIEs		$	125		$	125		$	146		$	146

⁽¹⁾ Consists of CMLs and MMLs

⁽²⁾ Consist entirely of derivatives

We are substantively the only investor in the consolidated VIEs listed in the table above. As the sole investor in these VIEs, we have the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance and are therefore considered to be the primary beneficiary of the VIEs that we consolidate. We also participate in substantially all of the variability created by these VIEs. The activities of these VIEs are limited to holding invested assets and foreign currency, and/or credit default swaps (CDS), as appropriate, and utilizing the cash flows from these securities to service our investment. Neither we nor any of our creditors are able to obtain the underlying collateral of the VIEs unless there is an event of default or other specified event. For those VIEs that contain a swap, we are not a direct counterparty to the swap contracts and have no control over them. Our loss exposure to these VIEs is limited to our original investment. Our consolidated VIEs do not rely on outside or ongoing sources of funding to support their activities beyond the underlying collateral and swap contracts, if applicable. With the exception of our investment in unit trust structures, the underlying collateral assets and funding of our consolidated VIEs are generally static in nature and the underlying collateral and the reference corporate entities covered by any CDS contracts were all investment grade at the time of issuance.

Investments in Unit Trust Structures

We invest through unit trust structures in yen-denominated public equity securities, U.S. dollar-denominated public equity securities, bank loans, commercial mortgage loans, infrastructure debt, and middle market loans in which we are the only investor, requiring us to consolidate these trusts under U.S. GAAP. The yen-denominated and U.S. dollar-denominated equity securities, bank loans and certain infrastructure debt are classified as available-for-sale in the financial statements. The commercial mortgage loans, middle market loans and certain infrastructure debt that meets the criteria to be classified as a loan are classified as loans held for investment and reflected in other investments on the consolidated balance sheets at amortized cost.

VIEs-Not Consolidated

The table below reflects the amortized cost, fair value and balance sheet caption in which our investment in VIEs not consolidated are reported.

Investments in Variable Interest Entities Not Consolidated

	March 31, 2017						December 31, 2016
(In millions)	Amortized Cost			Fair Value			Amortized Cost			Fair Value
Assets:
Fixed maturities, available for sale		$	4,823		$	5,354		$	4,729		$	5,261
Perpetual securities, available for sale		178			230			172			200
Fixed maturities, held to maturity		2,660			3,039			2,563			2,948
Other investments		52			52			1			1
Total investments in VIEs not consolidated		$	7,713		$	8,675		$	7,465		$	8,410

The VIEs that we are not required to consolidate are investments that are in the form of debt obligations from the VIEs that are irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed by their corporate parents or sponsors. These VIEs are the primary financing vehicles used by their corporate sponsors to raise financing in the capital markets. The variable interests created by these VIEs are principally or solely a result of the debt instruments issued by them. We do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance, nor do we have the obligation to absorb losses of the entity or the right to receive benefits from the entity. As such, we are not the primary beneficiary of these VIEs and are therefore not required to consolidate them. These VIE investments comprise securities from 149 separate issuers with an average credit rating of BBB as of March 31, 2017, compared with 145 separate issuers with an average credit rating of BBB as of December 31, 2016.

Securities Lending and Pledged Securities

We lend fixed-maturity securities to financial institutions in short-term security-lending transactions. These short-term security-lending arrangements increase investment income with minimal risk. Our security lending policy requires that the fair value of the securities and/or unrestricted cash received as collateral be 102% or more of the fair value of the loaned securities. These securities continue to be carried as investment assets on our balance sheet during the terms of the loans and are not reported as sales. We receive cash or other securities as collateral for such loans. For loans involving unrestricted cash or securities as collateral, the collateral is reported as an asset with a corresponding liability for the return of the collateral.

Details of our securities lending activities were as follows:

Securities Lending Transactions Accounted for as Secured Borrowings
March 31, 2017
Remaining Contractual Maturity of the Agreements
(In millions)	Overnight and Continuous(1)		Up to 30 days		Total
Securities lending transactions:
Japan government and agencies	$	0	$	885	$	885
Public utilities	87		0		87
Banks/financial institutions	38		0		38
Other corporate	472		0		472
Total borrowings	$	597	$	885	$	1,482
Gross amount of recognized liabilities for securities lending transactions					$	1,482
Amounts related to agreements not included in offsetting disclosure in Note 4					$	0

⁽¹⁾ These securities are pledged as collateral under our U.S. securities lending program and can be called at our discretion; therefore, they are classified as Overnight and Continuous.

Securities Lending Transactions Accounted for as Secured Borrowings
December 31, 2016
Remaining Contractual Maturity of the Agreements
(In millions)	Overnight and Continuous(1)		Up to 30 days		Total
Securities lending transactions:
Public utilities	$	62	$	0	$	62
Banks/financial institutions	34		0		34
Other corporate	430		0		430
Total borrowings	$	526	$	0	$	526
Gross amount of recognized liabilities for securities lending transactions					$	526
Amounts related to agreements not included in offsetting disclosure in Note 4					$	0

⁽¹⁾ These securities are pledged as collateral under our U.S. securities lending program and can be called at our discretion; therefore, they are classified as Overnight and Continuous.

We did not have any repurchase agreements or repurchase-to-maturity transactions outstanding as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

Certain fixed-maturity securities can be pledged as collateral as part of derivative transactions, or pledged to support state deposit requirements or certain investment programs. For additional information regarding pledged securities related to derivative transactions, see Note 4.