[Japanese Public Medical Insurance]

• In Japan, it is obligatory for all people to join some sort of public medical insurance so as to alleviate their economic burden when they are sick or injured and to receive treatment with peace of mind. This is called “Kokumin Kai Hoken Seido”.
• There are two major types of public medical insurance in Japan.

Health Insurance (Kenko Hoken): People working in companies and establishments must join this insurance. The joining procedure is done at the company or office where you are working. Please contact your place of employment.

National Health Insurance (Kokumin Kenko Hoken): A person who cannot join the health insurance should join. The procedures will be done at the municipal city office of your residence.

• There are treatments that are not covered by the insurance such as traffic accident and childbirth.
• You cannot lend or borrow or buy and sell the insurance cards.

[Notification is required at times like this]

• When you retire or stop working from a company or office (You cannot use your health insurance card from the day after your retirement. Please return your health insurance certificate promptly and switch to national health insurance)
• You can withdraw from the National Health Insurance (when you join the health insurance at work)
• When you lose your insurance card or when it gets dirty
• When a child is born
• When the head of household changes
• When the insured person died
• When the address changes
• When you move overseas

※This article was prepared mainly with reference to “Multilingual Living Information” (Local Government Internationalization Association)「多言語生活情報」（一般財団法人自治体国際化協会）

For more information please see here.
http://www.clair.or.jp/tagengorev/ja/f/index.html