Free care advice
Ask the community support center about care-need certification and the language help available for your appointment.
Use the community support centerFor Foreign Seniors in Japan
Care, medical and daily-life coordination for living well in Japan
A registered resident aged 65 or over can apply for care on need alone, whatever the passport says. What decides the result is a home-visit assessment held entirely in Japanese. We prepare that conversation and send the family a written English summary after each step.
Age 65certification on need alone
EN / JPsummaries in both languages
30 minfirst consultation, free
Daily-life support in JapanStart with your municipality
Bring your registered address and insurance details. The community support center can help identify the next public care service to ask about.
Help while waiting
After applying, ask about a provisional care plan. Confirm the costs if the eventual decision does not cover the services used.
Care before certification finishesMonthly costs
Use the percentage on your co-payment certificate and the care level to estimate insured services and private help separately.
Calculate home care costs
Care depends on address
Enrolment follows the resident register, not nationality. A registered resident aged 65 or over can apply for certification on need alone, then pays 10% to 30% of covered care. The municipal long-term care insurance desk for the registered address is where it starts.
Where to ask first
The community support center is the free municipal window for residents aged 65 and over, and about 5,487 of them cover the country. Each district team pairs a social worker, a public health nurse and a senior care manager. No referral or membership is needed.
Common situations
Foreign residents are enrolled on the same terms as Japanese residents, but almost every step runs in Japanese. The application, the home-visit assessment and the doctor's written opinion are all Japanese-language processes. Preparation is what closes that gap.
Few English-language desks
The municipal long-term care insurance desk and the community support center work in Japanese. Some municipalities publish translated leaflets, but the home-visit assessment itself is a live Japanese conversation. What is said there shapes the certification result.
Understanding care insurance
The statutory principle is a decision within 30 days of application, but local timing varies. A home-visit assessment and the doctor's written opinion are part of the process. Ask the community support center about a provisional care plan if help is needed before the result.
Talking to hospitals
A doctor writes the shujii ikensho, the written opinion that feeds the certification decision. If the doctor has not heard what daily life actually looks like, the opinion understates the need. We write that summary before the appointment.
Family is not nearby
Relatives abroad need to know what was decided at the municipal desk and what happens next. We send a written English summary after each step, and answer questions within two business days. Live calls are scheduled around your time zone.
How we help
The first consultation is 30 minutes and free. You leave it knowing which desk to go to, what to bring and what the next step costs. Nothing is billed until you approve a written scope and fee.
Which desk to use
The community support center for the district is free to consult and takes care questions before any application. The municipal long-term care insurance desk handles enrolment and the certification application. We tell you which one your question belongs to.
Appointment preparation
We write a one-page summary of symptoms and medication that a Japanese clinic can read in a minute. That page is also what the doctor's written opinion draws on later.
Care plan support
After certification a care manager writes the care plan, and that step carries no co-payment. Covered services are capped monthly by care level and the ceiling rises from 5,032 units at Support 1 to 36,217 units at Care 5. We prepare the questions before the care manager meeting.
What we do and what we don't
We coordinate
- Clarifying enrolment, premiums and the certification steps
- Preparing municipality and community-support-center conversations
- Building a care profile so providers understand language and life history
- Organizing clinic access, medication continuity and daily-life support
- Keeping family in Japan and abroad on the same page in English
We don't
- Emergency response — urgent situations go to 119 and local emergency services
- Medical diagnosis or treatment decisions
- Hands-on care itself — licensed providers deliver care services
- Legal, tax, or visa representation
- Guaranteeing certification results or service availability
What we confirm in the first 30 minutes
- Where you live, and your residence and insurance status as far as known
- What daily life looks like now, and what is getting harder
- Language needs for clinics, paperwork, and care conversations
- Who should be involved in decisions, in Japan or abroad
- Whether our scope fits — and if not, who to ask instead
How It Actually Moves
How the system applies
Foreign residents are not excluded from Japan's long-term care insurance. Liability follows residence, not nationality, so a registered resident pays and is entitled on the same terms. These five steps are how it works in practice.
Registration comes first
A foreign resident on the register is enrolled on the same basis as a Japanese resident. The municipality of the registered address runs the long-term care insurance desk that handles the case. Premiums for those 65 and over are usually deducted from pension or billed by the municipality.
Age decides the category
From 65 you can be certified for covered care whatever the cause of need. Between 40 and 64 the need must arise from one of 16 specified aging-related conditions, such as early-onset dementia or stroke aftereffects. For the younger group the diagnosis is the gate.
Certification before services
Being insured is not the same as receiving services. The application is followed by a home-visit assessment and the doctor's written opinion, then a two-stage judgement. A result is legally due in 30 days, but the median insurer takes 39.3 days.
English support is rare
Municipal offices, care managers and providers work in Japanese. Some municipalities publish translated materials, but the home-visit assessment and the care manager meeting are live Japanese conversations. Going in with a written summary and a question list is what makes them work.
What the plan misses
The care plan itself is written by a care manager and carries no co-payment. Covered services then run at 10% to 30% of cost, up to the monthly ceiling for the care level. Translation, English reporting and anything above the ceiling stay private.
Support scope
A written summary of needs, contacts and language preferences
Questions for the municipal desk and the care manager meeting
A next-step plan with dates for the application and appointments
A written note of what we do not do, including emergencies and diagnosis
How it works
01
Tell us where you are registered, what has changed and who should be kept informed.
02
We say which desk to approach first and which documents to take to it.
03
If you continue, the scope, fee and reporting schedule come in writing before work starts.
Example cases
Most foreign residents contact us when a fall or a hospital visit has already started a clock. The first job is working out whether the certification application or private support comes first.
Falls and upcoming appointments
A foreign resident in Yokohama is worried about falls and an upcoming clinic appointment. We write the one-page summary the doctor needs for the written opinion. We also draft the questions for the community support center, which costs nothing to consult.
When a spouse struggles
A couple has managed alone, but one partner's needs now exceed what the other can carry. Because certification takes a median of 39.3 days, the application goes in first and private support covers the wait. We prepare both in the same session.
Adult children abroad
Adult children overseas cannot follow the Japanese-language conversations their parent is having. They get a written English summary after each municipal or clinic step, and a reply within two business days. Live calls are scheduled around their time zone.
Engagement approach
The first consultation is 30 minutes and free. After that the scope and fee are agreed in writing before any work starts. We take no referral fees from facilities or providers.
- A free 30-minute consultation to review the situation
- Project-based support for care or medical coordination
- Ongoing support when regular family reporting is needed
Frequently asked questions
Can foreigners use Japan's long-term care insurance?
Yes. Liability follows residence, not nationality, so a registered resident pays and is entitled on the same terms as a Japanese neighbour. From 65 certification rests on need alone; between 40 and 64 the need has to arise from one of 16 specified conditions.
Do I pay long-term care insurance premiums as a foreign resident?
Registered residents in the insured categories generally pay premiums on the same basis as Japanese residents, typically through pension deduction or municipal billing for those 65 and over. The municipality can confirm the individual situation.
Should I stay in Japan or return to my home country for care?
It depends on what each system actually gives you. In Japan a certified resident pays 10% to 30% of covered care up to a monthly ceiling set by care level, and the care plan itself is free. We lay the two systems side by side so the family compares numbers rather than impressions.
Can you provide direct care at home?
No. Hands-on care is delivered by licensed providers, and we do no medical acts, diagnosis or emergency response. We prepare the conversations with the providers who do.
Can you help with the long-term care insurance application?
We prepare the documents and the questions, but the municipality decides. The application, the home-visit assessment and the doctor's written opinion all run through the municipal long-term care insurance desk.
Can a family member join the consultation?
Yes. Family in Japan or abroad can join, and we schedule around the time zones involved. Written English summaries then go to everyone named.
Related reading
Read these before the first visit to the municipal desk. The insurance guide covers the age-40 and age-65 rules that decide access.
Long-Term Care Insurance Basics
A starting point for understanding Japan's public elderly care system.
Can Foreigners Use Care Services in Japan?What usually affects eligibility and what to confirm first.
Home Care Services in Japan for Elderly ForeignersHome safety, public and private support, and family reporting.
Nursing Homes in Japan for ForeignersWhat to check before comparing facilities and senior housing.
Community Support Centers in JapanWhere older residents and families can start locally.
Care NavigationClarify the care system, procedures, and the sequence of next steps.