Living in Japan

[KusoGaki]

Strangely, I was just reading this thread a little earlier and then suddenly got a phone call asking me about back payments for Kokumin Nenkin (pension).
Probably going to get a phone call asking for back payments for Kokumin Kenko Hoken (health insurance) pretty soon too...

I'd agree with what Darwock is saying, get it sorted and out of the way. Didn't know about it when I first got here and I think I owe them quite a lot of money at the moment.

[randombs]

I expect these sorts of things get seriously looked into when they're raiding the back of the sofa during hard times...

[kryss]

NOVAs way to get around the kokumin kenkou houken was to create a sub-area trainer position who WAS enrolled in it, and then to say that regular teachers worked less than them. It meant that the time between lessons became "free" so they couldn't say **** when we went off to the combini. The health insurance that NOVA sold to teachers was actually not bad, I had doctor's fees, x-rays and medication covered 100% the one time I was actually sick (tonsillitis followed by a nasal mucal gland infection).
Under zombie-NOVA, a friend recommended World Nomads travel insurance as it was cheap and you could renew it without going back to your home country.

When I finally get back over there I'll be in the regular system with the masses. Hopefully they won't chase me for 2004-2009 back payments...

[Anpanman]

Strangely, I was just reading this thread a little earlier and then suddenly got a phone call asking me about back payments for Kokumin Nenkin (pension).

Don't knock the pension payments!

[Darwock]

The pension backpay demands can be safely ignored, from all accounts. Ignore shakai hoken at your peril if you want to renew your visa.

[DeathAdder]

I've always had my own health insurance but have had no problems renewing my visa five times.

[Ghost]

How much roughly a month should I expect to pay for health insurance? I'll be based in Kanto on about 250,000 yen a month. I checked out some overseas insurance from here which was about ?450 for the year, but I read that a lot of japanese hospitals do not accept private insurance and that I'd need the japanese one anyway.

[Darwock]

Cant comment on Kanto. In Kansai I was paying roughly 15K per month. Now I'm fully in the shakai hoken system, I dont know what percentage of that is for health insurance.

[randombs]

I'm in Kanto. I was paying Y1,600 a month for my first year's health insurance(no pension). First month was Y4,800.

Now I pay Y15,000 for company health insurance and Y30,000 for pension every month.

My friend who has been on national health insurance since he arrived has also been paying around Y15,000 per month after his first year.

[Anpanman]

Now I pay Y15,000 for company health insurance and Y30,000 for pension every month.

Out of interest, is that a personal pension in a company scheme or the state pension.

[randombs]

State pension.

My company also does that American 401K thing so pays 5% of my salary into that, and I can choose how it's invested from a list of about fifteen things. This is on top of my salary, not taken out of it(could argue that I'd prefer the 5% now!). I can pay into that myself up to 5% of my salary but I choose not to.

I don't know the ins and outs of it, like what happens if I leave Japan or just the company. From what I understand, if a future employer uses the same thing I can carry it on with them. Either way I doubt I'll be leaving Japan within the three years needed to claim a partial refund of the pension payments.

[KusoGaki]

afaik I think you can claim up to maximum of 3 years for a partial refund for kokumin nenkin, don't think it matters how long you're here for. Though you're supposed to apply for the refund within 1 or 2 years of leaving.

Wouldn't really mind it so much if it didn't feel like such a stealth tax for short term stay foreigners, would stay out of spite but can't even survive very well now during summer would probably keel over and die as an old man lol

[randombs]

I read that you have to leave within three years to be eligible. I'll have a check again.

[Anpanman]

State pension.

My company also does that American 401K thing so pays 5% of my salary into that, and I can choose how it's invested from a list of about fifteen things. This is on top of my salary, not taken out of it(could argue that I'd prefer the 5% now!). I can pay into that myself up to 5% of my salary but I choose not to.

Thanks for the info.

I don't know the ins and outs of it, like what happens if I leave Japan or just the company. From what I understand, if a future employer uses the same thing I can carry it on with them. Either way I doubt I'll be leaving Japan within the three years needed to claim a partial refund of the pension payments.

That's my next question, whether you would be able to either take out payments or transfer them to another state scheme if you leave the country.

Thanks again.

[randombs]

Oh, that was specifically about the 401K because it's a private investment made by my company on my behalf, separate from pension.

As for my state pension, some countries have an agreement with Japan which means years worked in Japan can be included in pension calculations and vice-versa. I don't know if that means just the years or if the money actually carries over, too. So, for example, suppose you need to work 25 years in the UK to receive your pension:

if I work in Japan for ten years and pay 30,000Y/month pension before returning to the UK, will I see any of that money included in my UK pension or does it simply mean I'd only have to work 15 more years in the UK to get my UK pension instead of 25(but the actual amount received would be calculated only from my UK contributions).

Hope that makes sense!