Insurance coverage

Japan’s public insurance can only be used when you are sick. You cannot use public health insurance to pay for wellness checkups, preventative medicine, cosmetic surgery, or other such cases. Also, if you are injured during work, your treatments must be paid through worker’s compensation or by your employer, so you won’t be able to use your public health insurance to pay for it.

Not covered by public health insurance

-Injuries caused by a third party due to negligence or wrongdoing. For example, traffic accidents or criminal acts. In these cases, the party at fault is liable for your medical costs. The government will provide assistance if this compensation cannot be obtained.
-Normal pregnancy and childbirth
-Health check-ups and comprehensive medical check-ups （some municipalities will subsidize these）
-Vaccinations not prescribed by law
-Cosmetic surgery and orthodontics
-Injuries occurring during work or commute to work. These are covered by worker’s accident insurance.
-Extra hospital bed fees （like if you choose to stay in a single room）
-Operations, treatments, and medicines that are not included in insured clinical services

Extra benefits that you must apply for

1）Excess medical costs

If you have to pay more than the fixed, monthly amount for medical expenses, you will be eligible to receive excess medical costs （the amount is fixed based on your income）

2）Lump-sum payment for childbirth and childcare

On the birth of a child you are eligible to receive a one-time payment of 420,000 yen. The amount may vary depending on the policy or the municipality.

3）Burial costs

If the insured, or a member of the insured family, dies the family is eligible to receive a sum of money to use for burial expenses. The amount payable varies according to the insurance scheme and to the local administrative body.