The Japanese pension for foreigners: pay, pause, or claim back

Which pension are you in?

Being in it isn't optional for residents aged 20–59. It's the law, like health insurance.

Why it matters even if you're leaving one day

Immigration looks at whether you've paid your pension (or arranged an exemption) when you renew your visa, and especially when you apply for permanent residence. Unpaid months are one of the most common reasons for trouble. Renewing your visa.

Can't pay? Pause it properly

• Students: apply for the student payment special exemption (学生納付特例). You pay nothing while studying, and it counts as a properly handled period.
• Low income or lost your job: apply for an exemption (免除, full or partial) or a payment delay (納付猶予). Unemployment makes approval easier; bring proof you lost the job.
• Apply at the ward office's pension counter or online. It usually has to be renewed each year (July to June).

Not paying and not applying is the worst option: the months count as unpaid, reminders follow, and in the end it can show up at immigration.

Will you ever get a pension from Japan?

To get the old-age pension, you need at least 10 years of covered periods (paid months, exempt months and some others count). If you'll be in Japan that long, it's worth paying: you'll receive it even if you live abroad later.

If you've also worked in another country, check whether it has a social security agreement with Japan. With many agreement countries, your years in both can be added together to reach the minimum, and you get a pension from each.

Leaving before ten years: the lump-sum withdrawal

• Non-Japanese who paid in for six months or more and leave Japan can usually claim a lump-sum withdrawal payment (脱退一時金).
• Apply within two years of leaving, from abroad, by post or online, after you've filed your moving-out notice.
• The amount depends on how long you paid in, up to a cap. Employees' Pension refunds have tax withheld, which can be claimed back through a tax representative.
• Think before claiming if your country has a social security agreement: once you take the lump sum, those years no longer count towards a pension.

Leaving Japan: the checklist puts this in order with everything else.