Your health and the health of your family is important. You should consider seeing a doctor when you’re not feeling well. In this section, you will find information about: medical expenses, medical consultations in foreign languages, emergency ambulance services, pregnancy, giving birth in a hospital, infectious diseases, and mental health issues.
Medical Expenses
If you cannot afford to see a doctor:
JAR can direct you to a hospital where you can get free, or low cost medical care.
If you receive financial support from RHQ:
RHQ will assist you with paying for medical care. Please contact RHQ for further information.
If you have a job or have a visa for designated activities:
You may be eligible for one of two types of health insurance, which covers 70% of the cost of your medical treatment. . However, once you have qualified for medical insurance, in order to maintain your eligibility, you must regularly pay an insurance premium.
If you have a job:
Whether you have work permit or not, you are eligible for social insurance which includes among other things, health insurance provided through your employer. Your social insurance policy will also cover your family. To obtain social insurance, we recommend inquiring with your employer. The social insurance premium is deducted from your salary once you have qualified.
If you have a visa for designated activities:
You may be eligible for national health insurance. We encourage you to visit the local government office where you registered for your alien registration card to inquire about your eligibility for national health insurance. If you have visited your local government office, but were unable to obtain national health insurance, please contact JAR.
If you are not eligible for insurance, and do not receive financial support from RHQ:
Although medical care can be expensive, it is important that you see a doctor and get an appropriate treatment if you are experiencing health problems. We recommend that you ask the hospital where you seek treatment to allow you to pay your medical bills in installments. JAR can assist you with negotiating with the hospital.
Medical Consultation in Foreign Languages
Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Institution (Himawari)
“Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Institution (Himawari)” provides medical information in several foreign languages.
For information on medical institutions and health insurance systems in Japan.please call the number listed below.
TEL：03-5285-8185
Daily: 9:00AM-8:00PM
Emergency Translation Service
If you are at a hospital and you feel you can’t receive an appropriate treatment because you are unable to communicate well in Japanese, you can call the number listed below for emergency translation services.
Service Available in: Japanese, English, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian
APFS(Asian People’s Friendship Society)
“Asian People’s Friendship Society (APFS)” provides information on immigration, medical services, educational services, what to do in case of a traffic accident, etc.
Tel: 03-3964-8739 (Please call and make a reservation for a consultation)
Service Available in: Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Bengalee, Burmese, Persian, Urdu
Calling an Ambulance
In a medical emergency, please dial “119” to summon an ambulance. If you have difficulty speaking Japanese, ask someone to call an ambulance for you. Ambulance service is free. You will be immediately taken to a hospital to receive treatment. However the treatment you receive once you arrive at the hospital is not free. When you call “119”, you will be connected with a fire station. Please see the following example of a typical phone conversation with a fire station operator for the information you will need to provide should you need to summon an ambulance.
Staff: Is this for fire or ambulance?
You: I need an ambulance.
Staff: Where are you?
You: I live at—[or I’m at—]. (It’s helpful if you give them a landmark near your location or your home so they can easily find your exact address or location).
Staff: What kind of help do you need?
You: (Describe your injury or symptoms).
Staff: Please tell me your phone number.
You: (Give them the phone number you called them from. If you use a pay phone, give them its location).
Staff: Can I ask your name?
You: (Give your name).
If you are pregnant, or raising a child:
If you think you are pregnant, you should see a doctor for a pregnancy test. If you have a positive pregnancy test result, you can get a “mother/child health handbook” from your local government. All pregnant women are eligible to receive a “mother/child health handbook” regardless of their immigration status. . The handbook contains discount tickets for regular prenatal checkups at hospitals.
If you have social insurance or national health insurance when you give birth, the insurance will cover the cost of giving birth at the hospital. If you don’t have insurance and will not be able to afford the cost of childbirth in the hospital, you may be able to qualify for a social security service called “hospitalization midwifery system (入院助産制度 / Nyuuin-Josan-Seido)”. Please visit your local government office for details about the “hospitalization midwifery system” and if you have difficulty making yourself understood, please contact JAR.
Your child is eligible for regular, free checkups at health centers before he or she is 4 years old.
Infectious Diseases
At health centers, you can be checked for infectious diseases such as HIV/Aids, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and others, free of charge. The availability of different tests for infectious diseases varies at each health center… For details, please inquire at the health center where you applied for your alien registration card. JAR can also assist you with arranging an examination at a health center..
Mental Health
Trauma experienced before coming to Japan and current hardships can severely impact your mental health and wellbeing. Sometimes, your family or friends might notice your suffering before you do. If you’re having mental health problems, you may want to take advantage of a social security service called “self-reliance support medical service (自立支援医療 / Jiritsu-Shien-Iryou)”. In order to receive “self-reliance support medical service”, you must submit documentation from your hospital to your local government office. JAR can assist you with this procedure.
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