[Answer]
Foreign nationals enrolled in
the Japanese employees’ pension scheme for six months or longer can apply for Lump-Sum
withdrawal payments after leaving Japan. The amount of payment is determined in
accordance with the period of enrollment for up to three years.
Conditions:
1) Applicants do not posses Japanese citizenship.
2) Applicants have paid Employees’ pension contributions for a
total of six months or longer.
3) Applicants do not have a place of residence in Japan
4) Applicants have never been qualified for receiving pension
benefits including Disability Allowance
To receive the payments, send a claim form for the Lump-Sum
withdrawal payments together with the following documents to the Social Insurance
Operation Center within two years of your departure.
Photocopy of your passport
Your pension handbook
Document showing details of your bank account
You can get updated information on how to calculate your benefit
amount at the Japan Pension Service (former Social Insurance Agency’s homepage), in various languages.
For those who contributed to Employees’ Pension Scheme, a 20%
income tax is withheld from the lump-sum payments. However, this amount can be
claimed back if you designate a tax agent before your departure to have his/her
file tax return on your behalf.
Those who have been enrolled in the National Pension scheme, can also claim Lump-Sum withdrawal payments as long as they meet the above-mentioned conditions. However, the benefit amount differs from those enrolled in Employees’ Pension. Once lump-sum withdrawal payments are made, the period of coverage cannot be totalized into the period in the countries that have bilateral social security pension agreements with Japan.