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Summary
Disability pensions and survivors' pensions are public pension benefits that support life when something unexpected happens. A disability pension may be paid when illness or injury limits daily life or work. A survivors' pension may be paid to eligible family members after the death of a person who supported the household.
Public pensions are not only for retirement
Japan's public pension system has three roles: old-age pension, disability pension, and survivors' pension. This means public pensions are also social insurance against illness, injury, and death.
Disability pension
A disability pension may be paid when illness or injury causes major limitations and the person meets requirements.
Possible cases include cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes complications, dialysis, mental illness, developmental disability, and accident-related disability. Eligibility depends on condition and requirements, not only disease name.
Disability Basic Pension and Disability Employees' Pension
The Disability Basic Pension is based on the National Pension and mainly covers Grade 1 and Grade 2 disabilities.
The Disability Employees' Pension applies when the initial consultation date falls during Employees' Pension coverage. Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3 may be covered.
The initial consultation date is especially important because it can determine which pension system applies.
Survivors' pension
A survivors' pension supports eligible family members after the death of a household supporter.
The Survivors' Basic Pension mainly supports a spouse with eligible children or eligible children. The Survivors' Employees' Pension may support a spouse, children, parents, grandchildren, or grandparents depending on priority and conditions.
Difference from old-age pension
| Item | Old-age pension | Disability pension | Survivors' pension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Retirement living | Disability support | Support for survivors |
| Timing | Generally from age 65 | After disability certification | After death |
| Recipient | The person | The person | Eligible survivors |
Investing and insurance
Before buying private insurance or investing aggressively, understand public protection first. Then build emergency savings, fill gaps with private insurance if needed, and invest for the long term.
Conclusion
Disability pensions and survivors' pensions protect working-age households as well as older households. They should be understood before designing an insurance or investment strategy.