Healthcare/Insurance

03/16/2016 (mm/dd/yyyy)

Medical Insurance

Persons living in Japan, must enter either 1 or 2 of the following types of medical insurance.

  1. Persons working at a company → health insurance (kenkou hoken)
  2. Persons not working at a company → national health insurance (kokumin kenkou hoken)

Medical costs (money paid at the hospital)

Persons covered by insurance, will have 30% of their medical fees paid for by insurance.

For example:In the case of the hospital fee charging 3,000 yen.

Persons covered by insurance pay 900 yen to the hospital

Persons not covered by insurance must pay 3,000 yen to the hospital

Health Check

Persons working at a company and their families are eligible for health checks (persons from 40~74 years of age).

When you receive a letter about the health check from your company, please take the health check.

Persons who have been in Japan for under a year, can take a health check run by the city or town.

Please make sure to eat well and exercise, for a healthy life.

Health insurance (kenkou hoken)

Persons working for a company, and their families, should enter health insurance (kenkou hoken).

Your company will fill out the procedures for you to enter health insurance.

Persons covered by health insurance will receive an insurance card (hokensho).

Make sure to take your insurance card with you, when you visit the hospital.

Your company will deduct the money for health insurance from your salary every month.

The amount of money paid for insurance, is decided depending on the amount of one's salary.

Your company will pay half of the insurance cost.

National health insurance (kokumin kenkou hoken)

Persons who are not covered by company health insurance, should enter the national health insurance (kokumin kenkou hoken).

Foreigners who have completed resident registration and have lived in Japan for more then 3 months, must enter national health insurance.

Please pay the insurance costs by either one of the following two methods.

  1. A payment notice will be delivered by post, to your house. Use this to pay for national health insurance, at the bank or convenience store, by the date stated on the payment notice.
  2. The amount of money for national health insurance will be automatically deducted from your bank account on a set date, every month.

You will need to go to the city hall to apply for national health insurance, yourself.

Once you have entered the national health insurance system, you will receive an insurance card.

Make sure to take your insurance card with you, whenever you go to the hospital.

Going to hospital

Hospitals in Japan are very crowded.

The doctor will see patients in the order they arrived.

When going to a hospital for the first time, you may have to wait a long time.

Most hospitals are open during the day on weekdays, and mornings only on Saturdays.

Most hospitals are closed on Sundays.

Please phone the hospital in advance, to see if it is open or not.

If you need medical attention at night or on Sundays, please go to an on-duty hospital(toubani).

You can find on-duty hospitals on the town pages in the newspaper or on the Internet.

In the case of urgent serious illness or injury, please call 119 and request an ambulance.

Looking for a hospital

Information about on-duty hospitals in Shizuoka Prefecture “Iryou-net Shizuoka” (English, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean)
Link:https://www.qq.pref.shizuoka.jp/qq22/qqport/kenmintop/

Shizuoka Association for International Relations internet page
Link:http://www.samenet.jp/life/m_list.html

Items to take to the hospital

  • Health insurance card
  • Residence card, passport
  • Any medicine that you are currently taking

Different kinds of hospitals

In Japan, there are two kinds of hospitals - clinics(shinryoujo) and general hospitals (sougou byouin).

In the case of having a cold or light illness, please go to your local clinic.

In the case of needed a detailed checkup, treatment or surgery, please go to the city or town general hospital.

Persons visiting a general hospital for the first time,without a letter of introduction, will have to pay a first consultation fee.

If possible please find a regular family doctor at a nearby clinic.

There is a holiday/nighttime emergency clinic at the hospital for when you need to go to the hospital at night or on holidays.

However, there may not be a doctor who can attend to illnesses or injuries that require special care, and the number of doctors and the care they can provide is very limited.

Please try to go to the hospital before your condition becomes too serious.

Hospital Procedures

Show your insurance card at the reception, then wait in the waiting area. A doctor will give you a consultation. Pay the hospital fee, then go to the pharmacy to receive your prescription medication if necessary

  1. At reception
    Please inform the reception of your symptoms, any previous illnesses, allergies and so on. This is necessary information for your consultation with the doctor.
  2. Medical consultation
    The doctor will give you a medical check. If necessarily, you will decide when to come to the hospital for a following checkup.
  3. Payment
    Pay the medical fee. The fees can become expensive if in the case of a serious illness where you have to stay in hospital, or need continuing treatment.
    In the case of very high hospital fees, you can make an application and receive some of the money back.
    This will depend on your age and salary. Please the section “for people using the highcost medical care system” for more information.
    Link:http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/iryouhoken/juuyou/kougakuiryou/index.html?utm_source=echofon
  4. Receiving prescription medicine
    You will receive a prescription when you pay.
    This will have the medicine you require, written on it.
    Take the prescription to the pharmacy.
    Pharmacies are often within the nearby vicinity of the hospital.
    You will have the effects of the medicine and how to take it explained to you at the pharmacy.
    Please pay for your prescription medication at the pharmacy.

In the case of contagious diseases

Prevention against tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a lung disease.

It can be spread to other people and family members by coughing or sneezing.

Persons suffering from tuberculosis must take time of from school or work and receive treatment at the hospital.

If you are sent home on the same day as your consultation, you must pay a medical fee.

If you need to stay in hospital for treatment of tuberculosis, there is no fee.

Prevention of AIDS

AIDS is a disease which destroys the bodies immune system.

You can receive an AIDS check at a clinic.

You will receive the results of the check within a week or two.

Please make a reservation by phone, before your check.

Please seek advice from the health welfare centre or clinic.

For information and advice about HIV testing

Link:http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/kousei/ko-420a/kansen/aids/ktaisaku.html

For mental care

There are various telephone talk lines that offer confidential help.

Link:http://www.sir.or.jp/en/fls/counselor/

Foreign language medical care information

Link:http://www.sir.or.jp/en/fls/counselor/cate/contents_type=165