1. The Health Insurance System and the Employees’ Pension Insurance   System
2. Health Insurnace Benefits
3. Pension Benefits
4. Withdrawal lump sum System
5. Preventing Duplicate Payment of Social Insurance

1. The Health Insurance System and the Employees’ Pension Insurance System

     The purpose of these social insurance systems are to help employees to maintain a stable life by providing employees or their families with medical or pension benefits for an illness, injury, old age and other problems. Premiums are determined in accordance with the insured person's salary.
     These insurance and pension systems can be broadly divided into two groups. One is “the Health Insurance and Employees’ Pension Insurance” and the other is “the National Health Insurance and National Pension”.

(1) Health Insurance and Employees' Pension Insurance
     Health Insurance and Employees' Pension Insurance apply to all corporations and individual offices which regularly employ 5 or more persons. Those who are required to join this insurance, are employees who work regularly for an applicable company, and an employees' ordinary working days or hours are three quarters or more of those of full - time employees.
     The employer must apply for this insurance at the Social Insurance Office, unless the company has its own Health Insurance Society.
     The monthly premiums of Health Insurance are determined in accordance with the employees' wages, and are shared equally between the employer and the insured person. As the employer must pay both the shared premiums together each month, the employee's premium shall be deducted from his/her monthly standard remuneration and bonuses.
     Insurance premiums are calculated by multiplying the monthly standard remuneration and“ bonus” payments with the following rates.

[New Point]

< The rate of Health Insurance premiums >
      ( "Tokyo", It is from September 2009 to August 2010 )
(A)  The insured for long-term nursing care insurance; 93.7/1000,   9.37%   (equally subsidized by employers and employees)
(B)  The non-insured for long-term nursing care insurance;
  81.8/1000, 8.18% (equally subsidized by employers and employees)
     Family members of an insured person may be provided with some insurance benefits of his/her dependants, if they meet the following conditions;
a.　Relatives within the third degree, who are supported by the insured person's income.
b.　Their annual income should be less than ￥1,300,000 (less than
 ￥1,800,000 if the person is age 60 or over or disabled.)
c.　Their annual income should be less than a half of the annual income of the insured person.

< The rate of Welfare Pension Insurance premiums >
     ( It is from September 2009 to August 2010)
157.04/1000 (equally subsidized by employers and employees)

(2) National Health Insurance and National Pension
     National Health Insurance and National Pension apply to those who are self - employed, agriculture, forestry and fisheries and also for others unemployed. You are required to file at your regional government office.      National Health Insurance premiums (tax) should be paid by each household. Premiums (tax) are computed based on the total amount of inhabitant tax of all members of one household. Monthly premiums for the National Pension are \14,660 per person over 20 years old (as of Apr. 2009)

2. Health Insurnace Benefits

(1) "Health Insurance Benefits" are;

a.　When the insured person or his/her dependent becomes ill or is injured, Medical care benefits (The insured pays 30% of all medical fees.), Benefits for high - cost medical care and Transference expenses, etc.
b.　When the insured person becomes unable to work due to an illness or injury, Sickness and injury allowance (the amount of allowance shall be 60% of the insured person's daily standard remuneration, commencing from the fourth day of leave from work.)
c.　When the insured person or the spouse gives birth to a baby, maternity allowance (the amount of allowance shall be 60% of the insured person's daily standard remuneration), lump sum allowance for childbirth and nursing (\380,000), spouse's lump sum allowance for childbirth and nursing (\380,000), if the insured is male and his dependent spouse gives birth). (From Oct.2009 to Mar.2011 is \420,000)
d.　When the insured person dies, Funeral allowance, Dependent's funeral allowance, etc.

(2) "National Health Insurance" benefits are;
a.　When the insured person becomes ill or injured,
     Medical care benefits (The insured pays 30 % of all medical fees), Bene fits for high - cost medical care, Transference expenses, etc.
b.　When the insured person gives birth to a baby,
     Lump - sum allowance for childbirth and nursing (￥420,000). (From Oct.2009 to Mar.2011 is \420,000)
c.　When the insured person dies,
     Funeral allowance, Dependent's allowance, etc.

3. Pension Benefits

     The Japanese pension system consists of a National Pension and an Employees' Pension Insurance, etc. The National Pension is the basis of the public pension systems, and it pays“ Basic Pension benefits” commonly to all insured persons. The Employees' Pension Insurance is a system for paying insured persons remuneration - related pension in addition to the Old - age Basic Pension Benefits of the National Pension. Therefore, the members of the Employees' Pension Insurance, etc. automatically join the National Pension, as well.
     Old - age pension is provided if a person has participated in the public pension system for twenty - five years or more. He/she will start receiving his/her old - age pension when he/she reaches sixty - five years of age.
     Disability pensions and survivors' pensions are provided.
Please ask the pension consultant's section at the Social Insurance Office for details.

4. Withdrawal lump sum System

     If any foreign employee who had been a member of the Pension Insurance for 6 months or more has returned home without receiving any pension benefit, he/she may receive a withdrawal lump sum on request, which should be submitted within two years after returning home.
     A lump sum payment is provided if you follow the procedures below for claiming;
i) Obtain a claim form at the Social Insurance Office before leaving Japan,
ii) Fill in all the required information and mail it to the address of the Social Insurance Operation Centre.
The amount of lump sum is calculated according to the length of the insured period and the rate shown in the following table.
Please ask at the Social Insurance Office for more details.National Pension Amout is changed, please see the latest details.

5. Preventing Duplicate Payment of Social Insurance

Employees who have been posted to Japan either from Germany, the United Kingdom, South Korea or the United States, and who pay social insurance premiums of their homeland in accordance to agreements made between Japan and their countries may be exempted from paying insurance premiums of the Japanese Welfare Pension Insurance and Health Insurance system.
Between Japan and Germany, and between Japan and the United States, a system wherein subscription periods are calculated as a sum exists, as well as an agreement to prevent double payment of social insurance premiums.
Japan is soon scheduled to enact a similar system with Belgium, France and Canada in order to prevent double payment of social insurance premiums and to sum up pension subscription periods.