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After leaving Japan

Your pension after leaving Japan

The 2017 retroactive 10-year rule (qualifying period cut 25→10 years; ~640,000 instantly eligible) means ex-Japan workers with 4 to 9 years + totalized agreement-country periods hold LIVE unclaimed pensions, while taking the departing-foreigner lump sum PERMANENTLY erases that totalization credit.

Start a $99 Country Pension Identification Report

Full refund if we find nothing material.

Verified country facts

Every line below is drawn from the verified country dossier. We never fabricate facts; candidate items are gated out of customer-facing copy.

Time-critical dates

  • Lump-sum withdrawal: The lump-sum withdrawal payment must be requested within 2 years of leaving Japan, and since April 2021 the months counted in the calculation are capped at 60Official source, checked 21 August 2026
  • Back-pay prescription: The right to receive a pension is extinguished by prescription 5 years after it arises (National Pension Act art. 102(1), Employees Pension Insurance Act art. 92(1))Official source, checked 21 August 2026
  • Divorce pension division: 2 years → 5 YEARS for divorces on/after 1 April 2026
  • DC auto-transfer: A corporate DC member who does not move the assets within 6 months of losing member status has them automatically transferred to the National Pension Fund Association, where they sit in cashOfficial source, checked 21 August 2026

How records are reached

Personal-record access wall: Nenkin Net (user-ID arrives by POSTCARD to the overseas address) / My Number Card (deactivated for most leavers)

Nenkin Net usable from overseas (postcard latency); mailed Nenkin Teikibin record statement

Cross-border

24 totalization agreements; UK/Korea/China/Italy contributions-only (do NOT help reach 120 months).

Primary sources: nenkin.go.jp · nta.go.jp (tax) · mhlw.go.jp

Everything above is drawn from the verified Japan dossier. The Japan country page sets out what we identify, what it costs and who it is for.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still claim my Japan pension if I live abroad?

The wall is paper-mail latency + stale registered data, not an outright ban

What happens to a Japan pension if I do nothing?

The record persists, but the 5-year back-pay prescription erodes arrears monthly for the retroactively-eligible; an unmoved DC pot auto-transfers to the NPFA after 6 months and sits in cash, fee-leaking.

Do you give financial advice on what to do with a Japan pension?

No. We identify the scheme and access route. We do not advise on transfer, consolidation, drawdown, or taxation, those decisions belong with a regulated adviser in your country of residence.

What if you find nothing?

Full refund. Our report is a fixed $99 fee; if it delivers nothing material, you pay nothing.

See also