# pension



## ept (Jan 31, 2014)

I've been trying to understand my pension situation in Japan. As a US citizen there is some sort of totalization agreement between Japan and the States, but I can't get my head around it. I tried a volunteer advisory service in Tokyo, and they called the pension folks, but
there were language problems and, the Japanese bureaucrat said, he didn't really follow it all either. I also tried the US Social Security website, but I just don't follow it. I THINK that SSA says they will only count time (credits or what used to be called quarters). I also THINK
that the time credited does not count toward Medicare. But, perhaps, my time in the US and my time in Japan can be combined to make it easier to reach the Japanese 25 year threshold
for vesting. Except, maybe that could be a 10 year vesting threshold for Japan?

I have given the Japanese pension systems tens of thousands of dollars over 12 years, and it look to me like if I leave in the next five years that money is lost to me. Can anyone suggest
a website - or service- that can help me make sense of this? 12 years, really, and I get zero?


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## larabell (Sep 10, 2007)

There is an agreement between the two countries where each recognizes time worked in the other country and counts it toward eligibility for benefits but I have run into the same problem... the deal doesn't seem to be well documented. As far as I understand, they really only count time. The rules that apply would depend on where you decide to retire. If you leave Japan before retiring you should be able to get at least some of the money back that you paid in. I believe you can get details on the refund process from your local ward/city office.


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