First Year in Japan: Must-Have Insurance for an Expat Couple

For a scenario involving one person and their spouse (no children, no car), who has purchased an apartment and is managing a business in Japan under a Business Manager Visa with no employees, the following insurance types are generally required or recommended in the first year:

---

Mandatory Insurances

• National Health Insurance (Kokumin Kenko Hoken)

  • Since you are operating the business alone and have no employees, you will not be enrolled in a company health insurance plan. Instead, you must enroll in the National Health Insurance. This is mandatory for all residents in Japan who are not covered by an employer’s health insurance scheme. You must apply at your local city or ward office after registering your residence[3].
  • Your spouse, if accompanying you and not employed, should also be enrolled as a dependent or individually in the National Health Insurance[3].

• National Pension (Kokumin Nenkin)

  • As a self-employed person or business owner without employees, you are required to enroll in the National Pension system. This is also done at the local city or ward office and is mandatory for all residents aged 20 to 59 who are not enrolled in an employee pension scheme[2][3].

• Fire and Property Insurance (for Apartment)

  • When you purchase an apartment in Japan, it is standard and strongly recommended (often required by mortgage lenders) to purchase fire and property insurance to protect your real estate investment. This covers damage from fire, natural disasters, and other risks.

---

Optional/Recommended Insurances

• Private Medical Insurance

  • While National Health Insurance covers a significant portion of medical costs, some residents choose to supplement this with private health or medical insurance for additional coverage, such as hospitalization benefits or coverage for treatments not fully covered by the national scheme[2].

• Earthquake Insurance

  • Japan is prone to earthquakes. Earthquake insurance is optional but highly recommended for apartment owners, as standard fire insurance does not cover earthquake damage.

• Personal Liability Insurance

  • This is optional but can be useful in case you accidentally cause damage to other people’s property or injuries within your apartment or as part of your business activities.

---

Insurances Not Required in Your Case

• Automobile Insurance

  • Since you do not own a car, automobile insurance is not necessary.

• Labor Insurance (Workers’ Accident Compensation and Employment Insurance)

  • These are only required if you have employees. Since you have no employees, you are not obligated to enroll in these schemes[2].

---

Summary Table

Insurance Type	Mandatory?	Applies to Your Case?	Notes
National Health Insurance	Yes	Yes	For you and your spouse
National Pension	Yes	Yes	For you and your spouse
Fire/Property Insurance	Yes/Strongly Recommended	Yes	For your apartment
Earthquake Insurance	No	Recommended	For apartment owners in Japan
Private Medical Insurance	No	Optional	For extra coverage beyond national plan
Personal Liability Insurance	No	Optional	For additional personal protection
Automobile Insurance	No	No	No car owned
Labor Insurance	No	No	No employees

---

Key Points

• As a solo business manager with no employees, your main mandatory insurances are National Health Insurance, National Pension, and property-related insurances for your apartment[2][3].
• You are not required to enroll in labor insurances or automobile insurance.
• Consider earthquake and personal liability insurance due to Japan’s risk environment and for personal peace of mind.

By ensuring you have these insurances in place, you will meet both legal requirements and practical needs for your first year living and doing business in Japan.

Citations

[1] https://s-legalestate.com/kaigai/en/visas/business-manager-visa-2/
[2] https://immigration-lawyer.co.jp/column/%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%AE%E4%BF%9D%E9%99%BA%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%84%E3%81%A6/?language=eng
[3] https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/pdfs/guide_living_en.pdf