Japan Pension for Foreigners: What You Actually Get

Quick Answer: You need 10 years of coverage to receive a Japanese pension at all — not 25, as many people still believe. The full basic pension is ¥70,608 a month in FY2026, and almost no foreign resident receives the full amount. What you actually get depends on which category you're in, how long you contribute, and when you claim.

Most foreigners in Japan treat the pension deduction on their payslip as money they'll never see. It's the single most expensive assumption in Japanese personal finance — around 9.15% of your salary, matched by your employer, every month you work here.

Sometimes that assumption is right. Often it isn't, and the difference turns on a small number of rules that are rarely explained in English. This guide is the map: what you need to qualify, what you'd receive, and what happens to it if you leave. Each section links to a full deep-dive.

This is educational information, not financial or pension advice. Amounts revise every April and your position depends on your contribution record — confirm the specifics with the Japan Pension Service or a qualified professional.

Do you even qualify? The 10-year rule

This is the question that stops most people, and the answer changed in 2017.

You need a qualifying period (受給資格期間) of 10 years to receive the old-age basic pension from 65. Until August 2017 it was 25 years, which is why so much English-language advice still says foreigners "never qualify." For anyone on a normal career path in Japan, ten years is very reachable.

Three things count toward it, and the third is the one nobody explains:

That last category is why the ten-year test is not simply "ten years of payslips," and it's the single most valuable thing to check before writing off your record. Where your home country has an agreement with Japan, periods there may also be totalised — see Japan's social security agreements.

How much will you actually get?

Two layers, and most foreign employees have both.

The basic pension (老齢基礎年金) is flat-rate and based purely on months of coverage. The full FY2026 amount is ¥847,300 a year — ¥70,608 a month, and "full" means 40 years of contributions. Twenty years of coverage produces roughly half of it. This is why almost no foreign resident sees the headline figure: the number assumes a working life that started at 20 and never left.

The employees' pension (老齢厚生年金) sits on top if you've been a company employee, and it's earnings-linked rather than flat. Broadly, your average standard remuneration is multiplied by a small statutory rate for each month of coverage — 7.125/1000 for months up to March 2003 and 5.481/1000 from April 2003 onward. Higher salary and more months mean a bigger second layer. One caveat worth carrying with you: the law applies the higher of this and a legacy 従前額保障 calculation, so anything worked out from this formula is a floor rather than the final answer — see how much Japanese pension will you actually get.

For scale, the government's model household — a standard earner plus a spouse, both with full basic pensions — is ¥237,279 a month in FY2026. Treat that as a benchmark, not a forecast: it describes a full Japanese career, which is precisely what most readers of this guide don't have.

Rather than estimate this by hand, run your own numbers in the Japan Pension Estimator — it handles both layers and the qualifying test together.

Which category are you in, and what does it cost?

Japan sorts everyone aged 20 to 59 into one of three categories, and your category decides what you pay and what you build.

Who What you pay
Category 1 Self-employed, students, unemployed ¥17,920/month yourself (FY2026)
Category 2 Company employees, civil servants 9.15% of salary, employer matches
Category 3 Dependent spouse of a Category 2, income under ¥1.3m Nothing

Two things are worth pausing on.

Category 2 is the good deal, and it's easy to miss why: the 18.3% employees' pension rate is split with your employer, so half your contribution is money you'd never otherwise see, and it buys the second earnings-linked layer on top of the basic pension.

Category 3 builds a pension for free — a dependent spouse pays no premium at all and still accrues basic-pension months. That's genuinely valuable, and it's also why the ¥1.3m threshold matters so much to households. Note this is the social insurance test, which is a different number and a different concept from the tax-side spouse deductions. See the dependent-spouse pension in Japan and, for the tax side, investing as a couple in Japan.

If you're self-employed, the Category 1 premium rises to ¥18,290 a month in FY2027, so budget for it.

What happens to your pension if you leave Japan?

Two very different situations, and people routinely confuse them.

If you leave before qualifying, the lump-sum withdrawal (脱退一時金) refunds part of what you paid. It's capped, taxed, and — the part that catches people — claiming it erases the contribution record you might otherwise have totalised under a social security agreement. That trade-off deserves a real decision. See getting your pension refund when leaving Japan.

If you qualify and simply move away, your Japanese pension doesn't vanish. You can claim it from abroad and be paid into an overseas account, provided you keep up the paperwork — including a 現況届 filed in your birthday month each year to confirm you're alive. Since 27 May 2025, Japanese diplomatic missions can issue that certificate electronically (e-証明書). Miss the 現況届 and payments are suspended — the mechanics are in claiming your Japanese pension from abroad.

The mistake to avoid is treating the refund as the default. For anyone approaching ten years, it usually isn't.

Should you claim early, on time, or late?

The standard age is 65, but the window runs from 60 to 75 and the adjustment is permanent.

Both adjustments last for life. Deferral is the more interesting option for anyone with other income in their sixties, and it interacts with the rest of your plan — how much you've built in NISA and iDeCo, and what your take-home actually supports today, covered in how much of your Japan paycheck can go toward FI.

Model the whole picture in the PlanTogetherFI calculator, and your pension specifically in the Japan Pension Estimator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can foreigners get a Japanese pension?

Yes. Nationality is not a condition — coverage is. If you accumulate a qualifying period of 10 years, you're entitled to the old-age basic pension from 65 on the same terms as anyone else, and to the employees' pension on top if you were a company employee.

How many years do I need to qualify for a pension in Japan?

Ten. The qualifying period was shortened from 25 years to 10 in August 2017. It counts paid months, formally exempted months, and certain "aggregation periods" that count toward eligibility without adding to the amount.

How much is the Japanese pension per month?

The full basic pension is ¥70,608 a month in FY2026, which assumes 40 years of contributions — so most foreign residents receive proportionally less. Company employees receive an earnings-linked employees' pension on top. The government's model couple household is ¥237,279 a month.

Do I lose my Japanese pension if I leave Japan?

Not if you qualify. You can claim from abroad and be paid to an overseas account, with an annual 現況届 filed in your birthday month. If you leave before qualifying, a lump-sum withdrawal is available instead — but claiming it erases the record you might have totalised under a social security agreement.

Is it worth deferring my Japanese pension?

Deferring adds 0.7% for every month you wait, up to 84% more at age 75, and the increase is permanent. Whether that suits you depends on your other income, your health and your plans — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

PlanTogetherFI is for educational planning only. It is not financial, tax or pension advice. Pension amounts are revised every April, and your entitlement depends on your individual contribution record — confirm your position with the Japan Pension Service or a qualified professional before making decisions.

Sources and further reading

Figures reflect FY2026 (April 2026 – March 2027) and are revised each April. Confirm your own record with the Japan Pension Service.