Public Pensions

All residents of Japan regardless of nationality are required to enroll in the public pension system which supports senior citizens. The public pension system includes the National Pension Plan and Employees’ Pension Insurance. The National Pension Plan provides a basic pension while the Employees’ Pension Insurance provides additional pension proportional to the individual’s past income.
All residents, regardless of nationality, from the age of 20 up to and including 59, are required by law to enroll in the National Pension Plan system. You can apply to enroll at your municipal government office. Once enrolled, you will receive notices from the Japan Pension Service about when and how much you need to pay into the plan. If you are employed by a company, the company is required by law to enroll you in Employees’ Pension Insurance. In this case the company will apply on your behalf and will pay 50% of the pension contribution while you will pay the rest.
Foreign nationals who have paid into their pension for over 6 months while living in Japan and who apply within two years of leaving Japan can claim a lump-sum withdrawal of their pension payments. Applicants must meet certain conditions so please check the National Pension Services website for details.

💻Application for Lump-sum Withdrawal of Pension Payments (Japan Pension Services)

Information, instructions and an application form are available in English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Burmese, Khmer, Russian, Nepalese, and Mongolian. Click on the tab with your language, then scroll down the PDF form to find the information in your language.

Application for Lump-sum Withdrawal of Pension Payments (Japan Pension Services)

For more detailed explanations on pensions and welfare, see the Chapter 7 Pension and Welfare of the Guidebook on Living and Working on the website of the Immigration Services Agency.