Systems You Should Enroll in If You Work in the Agreement Country

When you are sent to work in a foreign country by your employer in Japan, you may have to enroll in the local social security system in addition to the Japanese social security system, and pay contributions to both countries.

General rule

When you are sent to work in a foreign country by your employer in Japan, you may have to enroll in the local social security system in addition to the Japanese social security system, and pay contributions to both countries.

Temporary detachment (for not more than 5 years)

However, when you are temporarily sent to the agreement country for the expected period of not more than 5 years, you are subject to the exception rule under the agreements. That is, you will be continuously covered by the Japanese social security system and be exempt from coverage under the system of the agreement country.

If you work in both countries for the same period (Only for the Japan-U.K. / the Japan- Korea / the Japan- Italy Agreement)

When you work in both Japan and the agreement country for the same period, you will be covered only by the pension system of the country where your primary place of residence is located.
If Japan is your primary place of residence, you will be covered only by the Japanese pension system and exempt from coverage in the other country. If it is in the agreement country, you will be covered only by the pension system of the country.

NOTE : Again, if you are temporarily sent to the agreement country, you are subject to the rule of temporary detached workers.

Depending on your work and detachment condition, you will be covered by the system as follows:

The above mentioned rules also apply to self-employed persons. You may be exempt from coverage under either the agreement country's system or Japanese system if you meet certain conditions.
If you plan to temporarily work as a self-employed person in an agreement country, you will be continuously covered only by the Japanese system. If you plan to work for more than 5 years in the agreement country, will be covered only by the agreement country's system.
If you are not a self-employed person in Japan currently but you will work as a self-employed person in the agreement country, you will be covered only by the agreement country's system.

Respective agreements provide which system you will be covered by.

In order for you to be continuously covered only by the Japanese social security system and to be exempt from coverage under the other country's system, you need to satisfy all the following conditions:

1. You are covered by the Japanese system while you are detached to the agreement country.
2. While you are detached, you continue to be employed by your employer in Japan.*
3. Your expected detachment period is not more than 5 years.

* Employed by your employer, here, means that you provide services to your employer and your employer controls personnel matters and provides labor managements for you.

You will be, in principle, continuously covered by Japanese social security system and exempt from coverage of the agreement country's system If you meet all the following conditions:

1. You are covered by the Japanese system while you work in the agreement country.
2. You continue the same self-employed activity while you temporarily work in the agreement country.
3. Your expected period of work in the agreement country is not more than 5 years.

When you need to work in an agreement country exceeding the originally expected work period, your employer in Japan (or you if you are a self-employed) may apply for the extension of the exemption.
In principle, you are exempt from coverage under the social security system of each agreement countries for up to 5 years. However, depending on your employer's (or your) specific reason, you may be granted the extension of the exemption in addition to the 5 years. The maximum extension period exceeding 5 years depends on respective agreements.
If your detachment (or self-employed activity) period exceeds the specified maximum period mentioned above, you will be covered only by the system in the country where you work, according to the basic rule.