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Pension questions

Japan pension questions

These are the questions people search about a pension left in Japan. Each page answers its question in the first two sentences, and we show those two sentences below, read from the official source with the date we read it. We identify where a pension is likely held and the route to it. We do not give advice.

English

  • Can foreigners get a Japan pension refund?

    Separately, a departing foreign worker with six months or more can apply for a Lump sum Withdrawal Payment. A non-Japanese national who leaves Japan must apply for the Lump-sum Withdrawal Payment within two years of leaving Japan.

    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 4 October 2026
    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026

  • Is there a deadline for the Japan pension refund?

    A person who has lost insured status under the public pension system can apply for the lump sum withdrawal payment only within two years of the day they last lost that insured status. If the person still had an address in Japan on the date they lost insured status, the two year period instead runs from the day they no longer have an address in Japan.

    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026

  • How many years do I need for a Japanese pension?

    A pension is payable only with ten years of coverage, though periods in an agreement country can be added to reach it. Where Japanese insured periods alone do not meet the qualifying requirement, periods in a social security agreement partner country can be counted toward the Japanese qualifying period; the page's worked example shows this against the 10-year requirement (被保険者期間が10年以上).

    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 4 October 2026
    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026

  • Do Japanese pensioners living abroad need to send a status report?

    A pensioner living abroad must submit a 現況届 (status report) once a year; the deadline is the last day of the pensioner's birth month. A pensioner moving abroad must file the 'Registration (Change) of Address and Receiving Financial Institution for Pension Beneficiaries Residing Overseas' form by the last day of the month before last relative to the pension payment date.

    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026
    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 1 September 2026

  • Can I use Nenkin Net from abroad?

    Nenkin Net (Japan Pension Service): Online access to your pension records, contribution history and benefit estimates, run by the Japan Pension Service. Registration needs either a My Number Card or your Basic Pension Number.

    • Source: nenkin.go.jp, read 7 June 2026
    • Source: nenkin.go.jp and digital.go.jp, read 4 October 2026

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