# Social security agreements: counting home-country pension years in Japan

URL: https://japanhow.com/money/pension/social-security-agreements-pension-japan/
Author: JapanHow editors
Updated: Oct 26, 2026

## Summary

Japan has social security agreements with 24 countries on the Japan Pension Service's list (updated October 2025), and 20 of them let you add pension years in Japan and the other country together. The UK, South Korea, China and Italy only prevent double premiums. Japan's old-age pension needs 10 years, and partner-country years can help you reach it. Each country then pays only for the years under its own system. Taking the Japanese lump-sum refund means those years can no longer be added up.

## Key facts

- Agreement countries: 24 (agency list, Oct 2025)
- Years can be added up: 20 of the 24
- Japan's old-age pension minimum: 10 years
- Not added up: UK, South Korea, China, Italy

Japan has social security agreements (社会保障協定) with **24 countries**, and **20 of them add up pension years** across both systems, according to the Japan Pension Service's list (updated October 2025, including Austria from December 2025). This is a totalization agreement for pensions: your years in Japan and in the other country are combined to check whether you meet each country's minimum. The UK, South Korea, China and Italy are on the list but do not add up years.

**Pension years Japan needs for an old-age pension:** 10 years (Years in a partner country with period totalization can help you reach it (Japan Pension Service))

## What does a social security agreement do?

The Japan Pension Service says the agreements solve two problems. First, **double coverage** (二重加入): you could owe premiums to both countries for the same work. Second, **lost premiums**: a short stay abroad may not reach a country's pension minimum, so the money paid in gives you nothing.

For double coverage, the agency gives this rule for workers sent abroad by an employer: if the posting is expected to last 5 years or less, only the home country's law applies. If it is expected to last longer, only the host country's law applies.

For lost premiums, the agreements combine your years in both systems. That is the part this guide covers.

## Which countries have an agreement with Japan?

The Japan Pension Service lists 24 countries (page updated October 2025; Austria's agreement took effect in December 2025). "Add up years" means period totalization (期間通算) is possible. The last column is the minimum the partner country asks for an old-age pension, from the agency's reference table of December 2025. Check the partner country's own pension office for current rules.

| Country | In force | Add up years? | Partner's old-age minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Feb 2000 | Yes | 5 years |
| UK | Feb 2001 | No | not applicable |
| South Korea | Apr 2005 | No | not applicable |
| USA | Oct 2005 | Yes | 40 quarters (10 years) |
| Belgium | Jan 2007 | Yes | none |
| France | Jun 2007 | Yes | none |
| Canada | Mar 2008 | Yes | 1 year |
| Australia | Jan 2009 | Yes | Age Pension: 10 years of residence, 5 of them continuous; superannuation: none |
| Netherlands | Mar 2009 | Yes | none |
| Czech Republic | Jun 2009 | Yes | 35 years (20 after 5 years past retirement age) |
| Spain | Dec 2010 | Yes | 15 years (2 in the last 15) |
| Ireland | Dec 2010 | Yes | conditions apply, including 520 weeks (10 years) for retirement after April 2012 |
| Brazil | Mar 2012 | Yes | 5 to 15 years, depending on when you were first insured |
| Switzerland | Mar 2012 | Yes | 1 year (basic pension); occupational: none |
| Hungary | Jan 2014 | Yes | 15 years (20 if born on or before 1 January 1952) |
| India | Oct 2016 | Yes | pension scheme: 10 years; provident fund: none |
| Luxembourg | Aug 2017 | Yes | 120 months |
| Philippines | Aug 2018 | Yes | 120 months |
| Slovakia | Jul 2019 | Yes | 15 years |
| China | Sep 2019 | No | not applicable |
| Finland | Feb 2022 | Yes | none |
| Sweden | Jun 2022 | Yes | none |
| Italy | Apr 2024 | No | not applicable |
| Austria | Dec 2025 | Yes | 15 years (at least 7 from paid work) |

The UK, South Korea and China agreements only prevent paying premiums twice. If your country is not in this table, no agreement is in force according to the agency's list, and your years in each country stay separate.

## How do pension years get added up?

The rule works in both directions.

- **In Japan:** Japan's old-age pension needs **10 years or more** of qualifying periods. If your Japanese years alone fall short, the partner-country years can be counted toward the 10. The agency's example: 6 + 3 + 2 years in Japan and abroad make 11 years, so a pension is paid. Years in both systems at the same time are not counted twice.
- **In your home country:** Japanese years are treated as partner-country years when your home country checks its own minimum. The agency's example is Germany, which asks for 5 years. Three years in Germany plus two in Japan meets it.

Adding up is only a test of eligibility. You do not get one merged pension. Each country pays for the years under its own system, and Japan pays an amount based on what you paid into Japan's system.

**A related Japanese term:** 合算対象期間 (also called カラ期間) is a separate Japanese rule. Those periods count toward the 10 years but add nothing to the pension amount.

## Should I use the agreement or take the lump-sum refund?

If you leave Japan with less than 10 years of coverage, you may be able to claim the lump-sum withdrawal payment (脱退一時金). See our guide to the [Japan pension refund](/money/pension/pension-refund-japan/) for amounts and how to claim.

The two choices exclude each other. The Japan Pension Service says:

- Taking the refund means **all periods before the claim stop being pension periods**.
- Periods you receive the refund for **can no longer be counted under the agreement**.
- It tells people to weigh a future pension through totalization against the lump sum before claiming.
- With 10 years or more of qualifying periods you can get a Japanese old-age pension, so you cannot take the refund.

Whether your combined years with an agreement country affect refund eligibility is not spelled out on the agency pages we checked. Ask the Japan Pension Service before you claim.

## Does this apply to me as a foreigner?

The agency's pages describe coverage periods, not visa types. We did not find any rule tied to your status of residence (在留資格). What matters is whether you paid into Japan's pension and into the pension system of a listed country.

- **Work visa:** you are usually in the Employees' Pension (厚生年金) through your employer. See [the Japanese pension for foreigners](/money/pension/japan-pension-foreigners/) for how that works.
- **Leaving soon:** you must decide between the refund and keeping your years alive. The Japan Pension Service can tell you what applies to your case, and we cannot.

Check the table above for your home country. Most readers from Pakistan, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia and Bangladesh will find no agreement. The Philippines and India are the two South and Southeast Asian countries on the list with period totalization.

## How do I claim a Japanese pension with an agreement?

Notes from the agency:

- The partner-agency route is for most agreements. **The UK, South Korea and China are excluded**.
- Where a tax treaty with the partner country has a pension clause, the pension is taxed there and not in Japan. You file a tax treaty notification (租税条約に関する届出書, two copies) with the Japan Pension Service. For your own tax case, ask a 税理士. Our guide to [tax residency for foreigners](/money/tax/japan-tax-residency-foreigners/) explains the basics.

## More guides

- [The Japanese pension for foreigners](/money/pension/japan-pension-foreigners/): pay, exemption, refund or agreement.
- [Japan pension refund (脱退一時金)](/money/pension/pension-refund-japan/): who qualifies and how much.
- [Leaving Japan checklist](/visa/leaving/leaving-japan-checklist/): tax, pension, residence card and accounts.
- [Tax residency for foreigners](/money/tax/japan-tax-residency-foreigners/)

## Questions people ask

### Does Japan have a totalization agreement with every country?

No. The Japan Pension Service lists 24 countries with an agreement in force. Of these, 20 allow pension periods to be added up. Countries not on the list, such as Pakistan or Vietnam, are not covered.

### Do I get one pension or two if I use a totalization agreement?

Two. Each country pays a pension based on the years you were covered under its own system. The years are added up only to check whether you meet each country's minimum.

### Can I take the lump-sum refund and still use the agreement later?

No. The Japan Pension Service says that if you receive the lump-sum withdrawal payment, those periods can no longer be counted under the agreement. It tells people to weigh both options before claiming.

### Where do I claim a Japanese pension if I live in a partner country?

For most agreements you can hand the Japanese claim form to the partner country's pension agency, which forwards it to the Japan Pension Service. The UK, South Korea and China are excluded from this route.

### How many years do I need for a Japanese old-age pension?

At least 10 years of qualifying periods. If your Japanese years fall short, years in an agreement country with period totalization can be counted toward the 10.

## Sources

- [協定を結んでいる国との協定発効時期および対象となる社会保障制度](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/shaho-kyotei/kunibetsu/kyoteitimesystem.html), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [社会保障協定 給付関係早見表 (December 2025)](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/shaho-kyotei/shikumi/kikantsusan/sweden11.files/hayamihyo.pdf), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [日本の年金支給の特例](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/shaho-kyotei/shikumi/kikantsusan/japanway.html), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [協定相手国の年金支給の特例](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/shaho-kyotei/shikumi/kikantsusan/kyoteispecific.html), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [日本の年金を請求する場合の取り扱い](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/shaho-kyotei/shikumi/kikantsusan/sweden13.html), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [脱退一時金を請求するにあたって、どのような点に注意すればよいですか](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/section/faq/jukyu/seido/sonota-kyufu/dattai-ichiji/2020042808.html), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [社会保障協定 (用語)](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/yougo/sagyo/shahokyotei.html), Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構) (accessed Oct 26, 2026)
- [Social Security Agreements](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/agreement/index.html), Japan Pension Service (accessed Oct 26, 2026)