The Japanese pension for foreign residents: what you pay, and what you get back if you leave

Last reviewed 27 July 2026 · Always confirm with the relevant office

Two things surprise people about the Japanese pension: it is compulsory, and if you leave, some of it comes back.

You are enrolled whether you planned to be or not

Everyone aged 20 to 59 living in Japan must be enrolled — either in the Employees' Pension (厚生年金) through work, where your employer pays roughly half, or the National Pension (国民年金) which you pay yourself, at a flat monthly rate.

This is not optional, and it now matters more than it used to. Payment records are examined closely for permanent residency applications, and are planned to factor into residence status renewals from 2027. An unexplained gap is a problem you cannot fix retroactively.

If you genuinely cannot pay

There are exemption and postponement systems for low income, students and other circumstances. Applying for one is treated very differently from simply not paying: an approved exemption is a clean record, while non-payment is a gap.

If money is tight, apply for the exemption. It is the single most common avoidable mistake, and the difference shows up years later on an application you care about.

The lump-sum withdrawal

If you leave Japan permanently, you can claim a lump-sum withdrawal payment (脱退一時金) for contributions made.

Key points people get wrong:

You must have at least six months of contributions.
You must claim within two years of leaving Japan and losing your residence. Miss it and it is gone.
You must no longer have an address registered in Japan.
It refunds a capped number of months of contributions, not everything you paid — the cap has been extended over time, so check the current figure.
A withholding tax is deducted, and a portion can often be reclaimed afterwards by appointing a tax representative before you leave.

That last point is the one that costs money: appointing a tax agent is much easier while you are still in the country.

If you are staying

Japan has social security agreements with many countries which can prevent double contributions and, in some cases, allow periods to be totalised across systems. Whether that beats taking the lump sum depends entirely on your own plans — and it is worth actual advice rather than a blog post.

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