Join National Health Insurance
If you are not enrolled in an employer plan, you may need to join National Health Insurance. This guide explains the basics.
If your employer enrolls you in employee health insurance, you can skip this page. If you are not sure which system applies to you, ask your HR department.
Skip to next step: Understand Your Apartment — What Is and Isn’t Included →Everyone in Japan is expected to belong to some form of health insurance. If you are not joining an employer plan, you will usually need National Health Insurance.
What it covers
In general, you pay 30% of eligible medical costs at the clinic or hospital, and the insurance covers the rest.
How to enroll
People often complete enrollment at the same time as residence registration at city hall. In many cases, you can do both in one visit.
Bring:
- Residence card
- Passport
- My Number, if requested
Where you can use it
National Health Insurance is accepted at most hospitals, clinics, and dental offices in Japan.
Typical cost
Premiums are based on income. In your first year in Japan, if you had no prior Japanese income, the cost is often relatively low.
Not everything is covered
Some dental work, vision correction, and elective treatments may not be fully covered.