Japan's Social Security Agreements (社会保障協定): Pension Guide

Quick Answer: Japan has social security agreements with 24 countries. They do two things: stop you paying into two pension systems at once, and let you combine (totalize) your Japan and home-country periods so you can qualify for a pension in either. They do not transfer your money abroad — each country pays its own pension for the periods you contributed there, and Japan can pay your Japanese pension into an overseas account once you qualify. Note: the agreements with the UK, South Korea, China, and Italy cover dual coverage only — no totalization.

If you pay into Japan's pension but might retire in another country, one question matters more than almost any other: does your time in Japan count for anything once you leave? The answer depends on whether your country has a social security agreement (社会保障協定) with Japan — a government-to-government treaty. This guide explains how the system works, which countries are covered, and how to actually use it.

This is educational information, not pension or legal advice. The rules are treaty-specific and detailed — confirm your situation with the Japan Pension Service or your home country's pension authority.

How Japan's pension system works (in brief)

Japan's public pension has two tiers:

Everyone falls into one of three categories: Category 1 (self-employed, students, unemployed), Category 2 (employees and civil servants), and Category 3 (a dependent spouse of a Category 2 member).

A key number: to receive a Japanese old-age pension, you normally need at least 10 years (120 months) of coverage. Fall short of that, and without help you'd get nothing — which is exactly where agreements come in.

Can your Japan pension connect to your home country?

Yes — if your country has a social security agreement with Japan. These treaties exist to solve two problems for people who work across borders.

But clear up one common misconception first: an agreement does not move your money from Japan's system into your home country's. Each country keeps and pays its own pension, for the periods you actually contributed there. What the agreement does is let you count your periods together to qualify, and it stops you double-paying while posted abroad.

The two things an agreement does

1. Eliminates dual coverage (二重加入の防止). If your employer sends you to Japan temporarily (generally up to five years), you can stay in your home country's system and be exempt from Japan's — or vice versa — instead of paying into both. You get a certificate of coverage (適用証明書, tekiyō shōmeisho) to prove it.

2. Totalizes (combines) your coverage periods (年金加入期間の通算). This is the big one for retirement. If you don't reach Japan's 10-year minimum on your own, your home-country periods can be added to your Japanese periods to help you qualify — and the same works in reverse for your home pension. Each country then pays a pension based on what you actually paid there.

The treaty itself is called a Social Security Agreement (社会保障協定, shakai hoshō kyōtei) — a government-to-government treaty, not a company benefit.

Which countries have an agreement with Japan?

As of 2026, Japan has agreements in force with 24 countries (Austria was the most recent, from December 1, 2025):

Germany, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, United States, Belgium, France, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, Brazil, Switzerland, Hungary, India, Luxembourg, Philippines, Slovak Republic, China, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Austria.

The important exception: four of these — the United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, China, and Italy — include dual-coverage elimination only. They do not totalize periods, so your Japanese time won't count toward those countries' pension eligibility (or vice versa). The other 20 include totalization.

If your country isn't on this list at all, there's no agreement — your Japanese periods can't be combined with your home system, which is often when the lump-sum withdrawal becomes the better option (see below).

Where can you find your country's agreement?

Every agreement is published, and the Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) keeps the official, English-language source pages:

Start at the status page, open your country's "Notes" page, and you'll have the authoritative rules for your situation.

Can you receive your Japanese pension while living abroad?

Yes. If you qualify for a Japanese pension (on your own or with totalization), Japan will pay it to you even if you live overseas, into an eligible bank account. Leaving Japan does not erase a pension you've earned the right to.

This is the part many people don't realise: you don't have to "cash out" when you leave. If you're close to qualifying — or your country's agreement lets you totalize — keeping your Japanese pension can be worth far more over a retirement than a one-time refund.

How do you actually receive the money?

If you'll qualify for a Japanese pension (on your own or via totalization), here's the usual procedure to claim it from abroad — based on the Japan Pension Service's official process:

  1. Keep your records. Hold onto your Basic Pension Number (基礎年金番号) and your "pension handbook" / contribution records. You'll need them years later.
  2. Get the claim form near pension age. Japan's old-age pension normally starts at 65 (you can choose to start earlier or later). You can request the claim form from the Japan Pension Service or from your home country's pension agency — under the agreement, the two coordinate.
  3. Claim through either side. If you've also contributed in an agreement country, you can usually file one application through your home country's agency, and it's processed under the agreement (totalizing your periods). The agency forwards the Japanese portion to the JPS.
  4. Provide an overseas bank account. Japan pays into a foreign account by international transfer. You submit the bank name, branch, branch location, account number, the account holder's name (it must be you), and the SWIFT/BIC code, with proof (a bank certificate or passbook copy).
  5. Receive the pension. Each country pays its pension for the periods you earned there — paid regularly (typically every two months for the Japanese pension), into your overseas account.
  6. Keep it active. While receiving a Japanese pension abroad, you must report changes (address, bank, marital or disability status) and complete periodic status confirmation, using the JPS "Report/Request from Beneficiaries Residing Abroad." Miss this and payments can pause.

So the money doesn't arrive automatically — you claim it, designate a bank, and keep your status updated. But once set up, it pays for life, wherever you live.

Lump-sum withdrawal vs keeping your pension

This is the real decision point:

For a short stay with no agreement, the lump sum often wins. For a longer stay, or a country with totalization, keeping the pension frequently wins. Our Japan pension refund guide covers the lump-sum side in detail — read both before deciding.

How to actually use an agreement

  1. Check your country against the list above — and whether it includes totalization (not just dual-coverage).
  2. Keep your pension records. Hold onto your Basic Pension Number (基礎年金番号) and contribution records; you'll need them years later.
  3. For a temporary posting: apply for a certificate of coverage so you're not double-charged.
  4. Near retirement: claim through the relevant agency — you can usually apply via your home country's pension authority or the Japan Pension Service, and they coordinate under the agreement.
  5. When in doubt, ask the source. The Japan Pension Service handles these cases directly, and your home country's pension body administers its side.

To see what the Japanese side of a totalised record would pay on its own, run your months through the nenkin calculator. For how this fits a cross-border retirement, see expat FIRE and two-country retirement planning and FIRE in Japan: NISA, currency & retirement.

PlanTogetherFI is for educational planning only. It is not financial, tax, legal, or pension advice. Social security agreements are treaty-specific and detailed — confirm your eligibility and process with the Japan Pension Service or your home country's pension authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Japan have pension agreements with other countries?

Yes. As of 2026 Japan has social security agreements in force with 24 countries, including the US, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, India, and Brazil. These treaties prevent double pension payments and, in most cases, let you combine coverage periods to qualify for a pension.

Can my time paying into Japan's pension count toward my home country?

Only if your country has a totalization agreement with Japan. Most of the 24 do — but the agreements with the UK, South Korea, China, and Italy cover dual coverage only and do not totalize periods. Where totalization applies, your Japan and home-country periods can be combined to meet minimum eligibility.

Does the agreement send my Japanese pension money to my home country?

No. Each country pays its own pension for the periods you contributed there. The agreement lets you combine periods to qualify, and stops you double-paying — it does not transfer funds between systems.

Can I receive my Japanese pension if I live abroad?

Yes. Once you qualify, Japan pays the pension into an eligible overseas account, so you can collect it from your home country. Leaving Japan does not cancel a pension you've earned the right to.

What if my country isn't on the list?

You can still collect a Japanese pension abroad — the agreement only affects whether periods can be combined, not where the money is paid. Without an agreement, your Japan and home-country periods can't be totalized, so it comes down to Japan's 10-year minimum: reach 10 years and you qualify for a Japanese pension paid into your overseas account; leave before that and the lump-sum withdrawal (脱退一時金) is usually the route. See our Japan pension refund guide.

Should I take the lump-sum withdrawal or keep my pension?

It depends. With a short stay and no agreement, the lump-sum withdrawal often makes sense. With a longer stay, or a country that has a totalization agreement, keeping your pension entitlement — which you can collect abroad — is frequently worth more over time.

Sources and further reading

The country list and dates reflect the Japan Pension Service status page as of early 2026 and can change as new agreements enter force. Always confirm your own country's status and process with the Japan Pension Service or your home pension authority.