Overseas Travel Insurance
If you plan to stay in Japan for less than 3 months, we recommend that you arrange overseas travel insurance before your departure.
In most cases, you cannot secure overseas travel insurance after you arrive in Japan.
For those with employment period of less than 2 months at Tohoku University
Please be advised that effective 01 October 2022, those with employment contract period of less than 2 months at Tohoku University can no longer be registered under the MEXT Mutual Aid insurance.
As such, we highly recommend this group to get personal overseas travel insurance before their departure to Japan.
Please also note that there are cases where the host department will specify and bear the insurance cost of their host researcher/faculty member. For that reason, please be sure to discuss the details of the insurance to get with your host department/lab in Tohoku University first.
The below insurance can be applied by host departments on behalf of the international researcher/faculty member:
- JISTEC (Japan International Science and Technology Exchange Center)
- JI Inbound Insurance
Refer here for more details of JISTEC and JI Inbound insurance (link can only be accessed by university staff)
National Health Insurance
If you enter Japan with “Student” as your Status of Residence, and intend to stay in Japan for more than 3 months, you will be required to enter the National Health Insurance system. You can register for the insurance system when you undergo registration at your Ward office.
If you are to be employed by Tohoku University as a full-time faculty member, you are required to join the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Mutual Aid Association. Part-time faculty members are required to join Social Insurance. You can take procedures for either of these programs at your faculty administration.
Those whose Status of Residence is “Professor,” or one engaged in “Cultural Activities” or a “Dependent,” with permission to stay in Japan for more than 3 months from time of landing, must enter the National Health Insurance system if not entering either Social Insurance or the MEXT Mutual Aid.
