The National Pension System: Everyone Supports Each Other

Japan’s National Pension is a system in which everyone supports one another by pooling funds for everyday living during old age, for those with disabilities and cases in which a person financially supporting a family dies. Everyone between the ages of 20 and 59 living in Japan must enroll in the National Pension system. The premiums you pay (¥15,590 per month in FY2015) can be deducted from your taxable income. If you are employed in a company in Japan that has an employee pension system, you are required to enroll in it. The company will complete the enrollment procedures.

●You need to file an application to enroll in the system, receive pension benefits, or complete other procedures. Please do not forget to file these applications and other notifications at the following points in time.

• When you turn 20 years of age (excluding those enrolled in an employee pension program and his/her dependent spouse)
• If you leave a company before you reach 60 years of age
• If you are no longer a dependent spouse and are not enrolled in an employee pension plan
• If you move overseas or move into a city in Japan from overseas

If you have difficulty paying pension premiums, you may be able to take advantage of programs for exemption and postponement depending on your income conditions. If your payment period is too short, or if you have not fulfilled the requirements to receive a full pension, some of these programs allow you to continue paying pension premiums even if you are 60 years of age or older. Up to September 2018, you can also pay overdue premiums for the past five years.

●The Pension Benefits You Can Receive

• As a rule, you can receive the Old-Age Basic Pension from the age of 65. The requirement is that you must have paid pension premiums for 25 years or more
• There are also other pension programs, such as the Disability Basic Pension, Survivors’Basic Pension, widow’s pension, and lump-sum death benefit, each with their own eligibility requirements

○ Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payment System
Foreign residents who leave Japan without fulfilling the requirements for receiving a pension can still receive a lump-sum benefit if they have paid pension premiums for six months or longer, and if they file an application within two years.

Inquiries:
Japan Pension Service's Nenkin Dial,
Tel: 0570-05-1165
Shinagawa Pension Office, Japan Pension Service
(Kotoku Bldg. 2F, 5-1-5 Osaki,Tel: 3494-7831)
National Pension Subsection, National Health Insurance and Pension Section,
(Hon Chosha 4F,Tel: 5742-6682, 6683)