Researchers
IEC Home Researchers Procedures after Arrival/ During Your Stay Enrollment in National/Social Health Insurance and Pension

Enrollment in National/Social Health Insurance and Pension

Health Insurance

Japan has a health insurance program to alleviate the personally borne cost of medical expenses. All non-Japanese living in Japan more than three months are required by law to enroll in the Health Insurance scheme.

There are 3 types of health insurance scheme in Japan:

  1. National Health Insurance: UEC part-time employee who works less than 30 hours/week, JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan) or unpaid researcher
  2. Social Health Insurance： UEC part-time employee who works 29 hours/week or more
  3. Mutual Aid Association Insurance ： UEC full-time employee and fixed-term full-time faculty member who works 40 hours/week

Upon enrollment in the Health Insurance scheme, an insurance card will be issued for you. If you show your insurance card at the reception counter when receiving treatment at a medical institution, you need to pay only 30% of the total medical expenses, including consultation fee. Unless you go to private practice or get medical treatment not covered by the health insurance, the medical expenses should be similar at any clinic or hospital. However, please remind that the medical expenses shall be calculated based on the contents of the treatment.

Pension

All residents aged 20 to 59 years who live in Japan must enroll in public pension system. Non-Japanese citizens also need to enroll in the pension scheme if they have an address in Japan.

Public Pension System：

Public pension system in Japan is a system that pay “pension” to people due to old age, disability or death. To receive the pension, we need to pay the pension premiums for full-contribution-paid periods. If a pensioner dies, his /her pension will continue to be paid to his/her spouse/children.

Pension Types： There are 3 types of Pension Scheme in Japan:

  1. National Pension ：UEC part-time employee who works less than 30 hours/week, JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow (JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan) or unpaid researcher
  2. Employee Pension: UEC Part-time employee who works 29 hours/week or more
  3. Mutual Aid Association Pension: UEC full-time employee and fixed-term full-time faculty member who works 40 hours/week

(Reference)
Japan Pension Service: http://www.nenkin.go.jp/
http://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/index.html （multiple languages available）

Pension Basic Number：
Pension Basic Number is issued for each enrolled person of public pension system.
Please keep Pension Handbook or a document which show your Pension Basic Number safe.

Social Security Agreement

Social Security Agreement is an agreement “to avoid “dual burden of contribution payments” by arranging your compulsory coverage between two countries.” (from Japan Pension Service website) You can totalize your coverage periods of Japan and the other country for benefits if you have a nationality that made the social security agreement with Japan”. For further details, please refer to the following URLs.
Reference）Japan Pension Service:
https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/kaigaikyoju/shaho-kyotei/index.html
https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/index.html （Available in multiple languages）

 

Created: December 13, 2017 / Last modified:December 13, 2017