Job Discussion Forums

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

Grrrrr! I can't edit the original post from this computer. I keep getting logged out! I'll have to do it later.

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

Amendments

Updated to reflect the Immigration Bureau's new position on clause 8 of the visa requirements. Also clarified pensions for those on kokuho.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Pitarou,
Please stop editing your posts! It becomes incredibly difficult to review what has been written. No, it's flat-out impossible.

You wrote:

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

fluffyhamster · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:31 am Post subject:

Just to say that number 3 in the 'More Amendments' post on page 1 should probably read shakai rather than kokuho. So get editing again, Pitarou! Laughing

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

I have another not-widely-known nugget of information about kokumin kenko hoken, which could be useful for some people. I thought I should check it out with the forum before I add it to the guide.

I have been told that kokuho works on a monthly cycle. What this means is that if I join kokuho at any time during a calendar month, I am covered for the whole month. This has proved handy for me, because I arrived in Japan on a tourist visa and don't expect to get my working visa until near the end of March. (Yes, this is perfectly legal.) Without this info, I would have been paying for private health insurance that I never needed.

Does anyone disagree with me adding this to the guide?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

cariocas27 · Joined: 17 Dec 2009 Posts: 8

Unfortunately I would say you're only half right.

Monthly cycle means that you're billed every month. When you sign up you get a stack of bills that you have to pay monthly (or lump sum for the whole year if you can afford it). However if there are discrepancies then your bills will reflect those changes. E.g. (my August bill was cheaper than the rest because I was only on it for two weeks).

I enrolled in Kokumin Hoken at the end of August thinking my employer wasn't going to give me Shakai Hoken, found out that I was in fact going to be getting Shakai Hoken and asked to be removed from the latter.

HOWEVER, since my coverage for Shakai Hoken started in September I was still owing for the two weeks or so that I had been on Kokuho in August; so when I went to the Ward Office they ripped up my kokuho bills and told me I was going to be sent a bill reflecting the outstanding charges for the two weeks I was enrolled.

So in essence you pay according to how long you're on the system.

Pitarou · Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan

seklarwia · Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:59 pm Post subject:

Tourists are not required to pay into any form of government insurance and are thus not covered.

If you entered on a work visa but didn't sign up for Kokuho or get signed up for Shakai Hoken you would be covered from the moment you landed because you would be charged from when your visa period started and not from when you signed up.

If you are getting a work visa later, you will likely only be charged from the time that you actually got your visa regardless of when you signed up and would therefore not be covered for anytime you were still under tourist status.