掛川多言語生活情報ガイド

(1)Medical insurance

Japan’s medical insurance system was established to reduce the financial burden of patients.
Every resident in Japan has to be insured regardless of his or her nationality.
Medical insurance includes “employee’s health insurance (kenkou-hoken, or informally called shakai-hoken)” for employees and “national health insurance (kokumin kenkou hoken)” for self-employed and unemployed.
A health insurance card (hihokensha-shou) is issued for each of the insured.
Bring this card to the hospital and you can get medical treatment, paying only a small fraction of the total medical cost.

Employees’ health insurance

 This insurance is for company employees and their family members.
The enrollment procedures are carried out by the company.
If you have not received a health insurance card yet, consult with your company or the Regional Social Insurance Bureau.

Premiums
Monthly premiums vary depending on the amount of wages.
The employer pays half of the premium and the employee pays the other half.

Benefit
Benefits are paid for medical expenses, childbirth and child care expenses, and burial expenses.

Inquiries
Kakegawa Branch Office, Shizuoka Regional Social Insurance Bureau
1-19-8 Kubo, Kakegawa City, 436-8653 Ph.0537-21-5520

National health insurance

 A foreign resident staying in Japan for 1 year or longer except foreigners who are obliged to join the health insurance system at work or the medical insurance system for the elderly aged over 75 or social security has to be insured by national health insurance.

National health insurance tax
National health insurance tax are calculated according to the income in the previous year and the bill is sent to the insured around July 20th every year.
A foreign resident pays the minimum insurance tax in his or her first year in Japan.
But, the insurance tax vary depending on his or her income from the second year on.
You can pay the insurance tax at a bank or a post office in Kakegawa, or pay them automatically from your bank account.

Benefit
Benefits are paid for medical expenses, childbirth and child care expenses, funeral expenses.

In the following cases, you have to report them to the City Office within 14 days.

• When you join national health insurance system: due to moving into Kakegawa, getting a new child, getting out of employees’ health insurance, etc.
• When you withdraw from national health insurance system; due to moving out from Kakegawa, leaving Japan, receiving public assistance, death, joining another health insurance system, etc.
• Other cases: change of the address within Kakegawa, change of the householder.

Inquiries;
National Health Insurance and National Pension Subsection, National Health and Nursing Section, Kakegawa City Office
Ph.0537-21-1143

(2) Pension system

 Japan’s pension system was established to stabilize people’s lives after retirement.
The pension is provided when you get old, become disabled, or die.
 Public pension systems include employee’s pension for company employees, various benefit societies for public servants, and national pension for other people.
 “Pension Handbook (Nenkin-techou)” is issued for each member of public pension systems. You have to fulfill certain conditions and follow certain procedures to receive a pension.

National Pension

 This is the system to provide “basic pension (kiso-nenkin)”.
 Every resident in Japan from 20 to 59 years old has to join the system regardless of his or her nationality.
 To join national pension system, you have to make an application at the municipal office.
But if you are already a member or a family dependent of a member of employees’ pension system or a benefit society, you do not need to make an application.
 The premiums should be paid during the specified periods at a bank or a post office.
You can also pay the premiums automatically from your bank account.

Employees’ pension

 Every full-time company employees under 70 years of age has to join this system. The necessary procedures are carried out by the company. The premiums vary depending on the employee’s wages, and 50% of the premium is paid by the employer and 50% by the employee. The employee’s share of the premium is subtracted from his or her wages and bonuses.

When leaving Japan

 When a foreign resident who paid premiums for 6 months or longer for national pension or employees’ pension leaves Japan, he or she can get a “withdrawal lump sum pension refund (dattai-ichijikin)”. The amount of the refund varies depending on how long the premiums were paid.
 Inquire at the Regional Social Insurance Bureau for further information, such as the papers required for the refund. You can apply for the refund within 2 years after you leave Japan.  Send the papers required for the refund to the Social Insurance Operation Center in Tokyo, if you apply for the refund from abroad.

Inquiries;
National health insurance
Shimin-ka, Kokumin nenkin-gakari, Kakegawa City Office
1-1-1 Nagaya, Kakegawa City, 436-8650 Ph.0537-21-1143

National pension and employees’ pension
Kakegawa Branch Office, Shizuoka Regional Social Insurance Bureau
1-19-8 Kubo, Kakegawa City, 436-8653 Ph.0537-21-5520

Application for withdrawal lump sum pension refund should be sent to:
Social Insurance Operation Center
3-5-24 Takaido-nishi, Setagaya-ward, Tokyo, 168-8505　Ph.03-3334-3131

(3) Long-term care insurance

 Long-term care insurance system is run by municipal offices to support bedridden senior citizens and those suffer from senile dementia, and provide them with necessary nursing care service.
 Inquire at the City Office for further information.

Enrollment
 A registered foreign resident of 40 years old or over who falls into those conditions written below has to enroll in long-term care insurance system.

• A person who has “Permanent Resident” or “Special Permanent Resident” status
• A person who stays in Japan for one year or longer
• A person who is supposed to stay in Japan for one year or longer due to actual conditions of his or her life.

Inquiries;
Koureisha shien-ka, Kakegawa City Office:
1-1-1 Nagaya, Kakegawa City. Ph.0537-21-1196