Living Procedures

Taxes

Essentials for living in Osaka [Taxes] (Osaka Information Service for Foreign Residents)

https://www.ofix.or.jp/life/easy-japanese/guide/pdf/8-3.pdf

Since Osaka City is a city designated by government ordinance, the tax rate for residents of Osaka Prefecture is 2% (instead of 4%) and the standard municipal tax rate is 8% (instead of 6%) as noted in “2. Types of Taxes”, “(2) Prefectural and Municipal Taxes” on page 60 that the link represents.

Individual Municipal Inhabitants Tax and Individual Prefectural Inhabitants Tax

People who live in Osaka City as of January 1st will be subject to both municipal inhabitants tax and prefectural inhabitants tax according to the amount of their income etc. for the period from January 1st to December 31st of the previous year. If you move out of Osaka City (including overseas), you are required to notify a tax agent. For more information, contact the local municipal tax office in charge of your ward.

Automobile Tax/Light Motor Vehicle Tax

1. Motor vehicle Tax (category base)

   As of April 1 of every year, owners of standard-sized cars are imposed a motor vehicle tax (category base, prefectural tax), and owners of light motor vehicles or motor vehicles with two wheels are imposed a light motor vehicle tax (category base, city tax). (The tax due date is the end of May.) Notification is required in the event of acquiring or discarding motor vehicles. For further information about the motor vehicle tax (category base), contact the Automobile Tax Call Center (TEL: 0570-020156, 9:00-17:45 except weekends, national holidays and the year-end/New Year holidays). As for light motor vehicle tax (category base), contact the local municipal tax office in charge of the ward where your vehicle’s fixed parking place exists (except for the Semba Houjin Municipal Tax Office and its branch office)

2. Environmental performance-based tax

   When acquiring a standard-sized car or a light motor vehicle (with three or more wheels), the environmental performance-based motor vehicle tax (prefectural tax) or light motor vehicle tax (city tax) is imposed. These two types of tax are imposed and collected by the Osaka Prefectural Government. For further information, contact the Osaka Prefectural Automobile Tax Office Naniwa Branch (06-6612-7251) for the motor vehicle tax, or Light Motor Vehicle Inspection Organization Osaka Office in charge of the environmental performance-based light vehicle tax (06-6612-2181) for the light vehicle tax.

Monday to Thursday, 9:00–17:30, Friday, 9:00–19:00,
※ Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:30, for Semba Houjin Municipal Tax Office
City offices are closed on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays, and during the New Year’s holiday.

Pension

1 Pension System

1 National Pension Insurance

Everyone who is registered to reside in Japan and is between 20 and 59 years old, irrespective of their nationality, must be enrolled in the public pension system—National Pension Insurance. The National pension system provides you with basic pension benefits for old-age, disability or death.

2 Welfare Pension Insurance

If you are covered by welfare pension insurance, you are a Category II insured person and through the welfare pension insurance system you can receive welfare pension on top of the basic pension provided by the national pension system.

3 Lump-Sum Withdrawals

Lump-Sum Withdrawal Payments are granted, in principle, on request to persons who satisfy all of the following four conditions and have filed a claim within two years of leaving Japan. Request forms are Pension Offices.

• Those who do not possess Japanese citizenship.
• Persons who contributed to the National Pension or the Welfare Pension Insurance premiums for at least 6 months.
• Persons who do not have a place of residence in Japan.

※The period for which a lump-sum withdrawal payment has been made will no longer be calculated in the pension enrollment period for social security agreements.

<Documents to be attached>

• Basic Pension Number Notification or copies of the pension handbook or other documents that confirm the basic pension number
• Documents confirming that the individual no longer has an address in Japan
• A copy of your passport
• A copy of documents specifying your bank account number. (e.g. passbook)

<Submit the invoice and attached documents to>

Japan Pension Service, etc.

4 Allowance for Elderly Foreign Residents

Those elderly foreign residents who were unable to receive the Old Age Basic Pension may receive a monthly allowance (10,000 yen/month). For inquiries and application, please contact your local Public Health and Welfare Center.

<Eligibility>

This allowance is applicable to foreigners living in Osaka City who were born on or before April 1, 1926, who retained alien registration from January 1, 1982 or earlier until July 8, 2012, and who have continued to be registered as residents of Osaka City since then, or who first made alien registration in January 1, 1982 or earlier, obtained Japanese nationality on or after that date, and are currently registered as residents of Osaka City.
※This benefit is not provided to people who are receiving public assistance or any public pensions such as survivor’s pension, or benefits for Osaka municipal foreign residents with disabilities, or people whose income exceeds the specified level.

2 Japan Pension Service - Branch Offices・Japan Health Insurance Association

Long-Term Care Insurance, Welfare

1 Kaigo Hoken: The Long-Term Care Insurance System

The Kaigo Hoken system provides services such as: home visits, day care and brief stays at nursing facilities. People age 65 or over (Category 1 insured) and people between ages 40 and 64 who are enrolled in a medical insurance program (Category 2 insured) are covered. Foreign nationals who have completed resident registration in Osaka City and are permitted to stay in Japan for more than three months are covered by the Long-Term Care Insurance Program of Osaka City. Foreign nationals who are permitted to stay in Japan for three months or less at the time of entry to Japan are also covered by the Long-Term Care Insurance Program of Osaka City and are required to pay the insurance fee if their period of stay is expected to exceed three months according to the purpose of the stay and their respective living conditions in Japan.
※Of preventive care services, the home-visit care and day-care have been provided under the “Long-Term Preventive Care/Comprehensive Daily Life Support Program” (Comprehensive Program).
Persons who can utilize the Comprehensive Program are persons certified as requiring support and persons determined to require support according to a basic checklist of health-related criteria.

1 Application for Nursing Care

To use Kaigo Hoken services, you need to receive certification of requiring nursing care (or requiring assistance) by sending an application to the Osaka City Authorized Clerical Center (2-5-20 Deshiro, Nishinari Ward, Osaka City) or applying at the Kaigo Hoken Counter of the Public Health and Welfare Center in the ward where you are registered as a resident. Please contact us for more information as home-care assistance providers can apply in addition to applicants and their families.

2 Expenses (including service fees under the Comprehensive Service Program) borne by the insured

The amount that you must pay when receiving a Kaigo Hoken service is the amount obtained by multiplying the service fee and the burden rate indicated on your Kaigo Hoken Burden Rate Certificate (10%, 20%, or 30%). (You do not have to bear the cost for making a care plan, etc.) When entering a long-term care facility or using a short-term stay service, you must bear the cost for meals and living (staying); and when using out-patient services at a facility, you must bear the cost for meals, etc.

3 Long-Term Care Insurance Card ( Kaigo Hoken Insurance Card)

A Long-Term Care Insurance Card is issued to those who are over 65 years old. For people who are between 40 and 64 years old, this cards is issued to people who have received certification of requiring nursing care (or requiring support).

Public Health and Welfare Center in your local ward or Local Comprehensive Support Center

4 Preventive Care Program

Programs designed to prevent general nursing care (local health classes, health consultations, nursing care prevention classes, etc.) are offered to people aged 65 and older to maintain and improve life functions.First, consult your ward’s Health and Welfare Center.

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2 Welfare for the Elderly

※For other welfare services for the elderly, contact a Public Health and Welfare Center in your local ward.

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3 Welfare for the people with physical or mental disabilities

1 Identification Booklet for a Person with a Physical Disability

It serves as a certificate of eligibility for welfare services for people with physical disabilities, including medical benefits and allowances to cover prosthetic appliance expenses.

2 Identification Booklet for a Person with a Mental Disability

This booklet is aimed at encouraging social independence and social involvement for people with mental disabilities. This booklet is necessary for receiving various welfare services.

3 Identification Booklet for a Person with an Intellectual Disability

This booklet is issued to assist people with intellectual disabilities with receiving consistent guidance, consultation, and various support services.

Application for an Identification Booklet and further information

Public Health and Welfare Center in your local ward.

4 Inquiries regarding the welfare of people with physical or mental disabilities

Consultations related to welfare for disabled people：Public Health and Welfare Centers

※For information on other services for people with a disability, please contact the Public Health and Welfare Center in your local ward.

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4 Interpreting services to assist young carers

We dispatch interpreters for non-Japanese speaking parents who have had to rely their children to routinely interpret for them at administrative offices, medical institutions, and other institutions that are necessary in their daily lives. For more information, please see Osaka City Foreign Language Interpreter Dispatch Program for Young Carers.

5 Support for Single Parent Families

For information on support services for single parent families, please contact the Public Health and Welfare Center in your local ward.

6 Ward Social Welfare Council（In-Home Care Service Centers of local ward）

• Ward Social Welfare Council（In-Home Care Service Centers of local ward） (pdf, 39.2KB)

7 Local comprehensive Support Center

• Local comprehensive Support Center (pdf, 8.69KB)

8 Intensive support team for persons with early-stage dementia (orange team)

• Intensive support team for persons with early-stage dementia（pdf,5.25KB）

9 Welfare Center for the Elderly

• Welfare Center for the Elderly (pdf, 4.60KB)