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As a foreign worker in Japan, if you are between twenty and sixty years of age, you have to subscribe to the national pension plan.

There are two types of plan: the standard plan (kokumin nenkin) and the employee's pension insurance plan (kousei nenkin).

How much you will have to contribute will depend on your profession. If you’re self-employed, or work in agriculture or the forestry industry, you’re in category one, which means monthly payments of about 13,000 yen. Basically everyone else is in category two and must pay seventeen percent of his salary, of which your employer covers half.

You can get more information from your local ward office, or from the Social Insurance Agency website:

• http://www.sia.go.jp/e/index.html