Japan offers one of the world's best healthcare systems — and international students get full access through the affordable National Health Insurance.
Public insurance run by your city/ward office. Pays 70% of doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, prescriptions, mental health treatment and insured dental care. Premiums are income-based; with no income you get a 70% reduction (about ¥20,000 a year in Shinjuku, Tokyo, FY2026) if you file the yearly income declaration.
The standard NHI top-up for international students at schools that use Gakkensai. Reimburses your 30% NHI co-pay for illness and injury treated in Japan (dental and mental health treatment excluded) and adds ¥100 million personal liability. ¥11,500 for a 1-year policy, paid once; requires NHI.
Personal accident insurance run by JEES (Japan Educational Exchanges and Services) — not JASSO — and taken out through your university; more than 1,000 schools in Japan use it. Type A, AY2026: ¥650 a year, ¥1,000 with the commuting rider.
Offered by university co-ops (Seikyo) to their members. Pays fixed cash benefits on top of NHI, not instead of it. Plans G500 to G1200 cost ¥6,000–14,400 a year (2026).
Optional top-up, never a substitute for mandatory NHI. Typically adds English-speaking assistance, medical repatriation and cover while travelling outside Japan; dental and pre-existing conditions depend on the policy.
| Item | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| NHI (single student, no income) | ≈ ¥20,000/year (~¥1,700/month) | Shinjuku, Tokyo, FY2026, after the 70% low-income reduction. Amounts differ by municipality, and you must file an income declaration every year — even with zero income — to get the reduction. |
| High-Cost Medical Expense cap | ¥36,900/month (low income) | Monthly limit on your own share for resident-tax-exempt people under 70 since August 2026 (¥35,400 before). Anything above it is refunded; a new annual cap of ¥290,000 applies. |
| First clinic visit (30% co-pay) | ~¥870 for the consultation | The national first-visit fee is 291 points (¥2,910); you pay 30%. Tests and medicine are billed on top, also at 30%. |
| JEES Inbound Futai-Gakuso | ¥11,500/year | 1-year policy, paid once (4 months ¥6,330; 2 years ¥20,130). Reimburses your 30% NHI co-pay for treatment in Japan and adds ¥100 million personal liability. |
| Gakkensai (JEES) | ¥650–1,000/year | Type A, AY2026: ¥650 basic accident cover plus ¥350 for the commuting rider. Paid through your university. |
Japan had 408,069 international students on 1 May 2025 — 21% more than a year earlier (JASSO) — attracted by universities such as the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Waseda. Japan’s healthcare system is excellent, and international students get the same public coverage as residents at low cost.
Japan’s National Health Insurance (国民健康保険, NHI or “Kokuho”) is mandatory for all registered residents staying more than 3 months who have no other Japanese public health insurance. For students, this is good news:
A first visit to a clinic costs you about ¥870 for the consultation itself (30% of the national ¥2,910 first-visit fee), plus 30% of any tests and medicine.
You enroll at your city/ward office within 14 days of moving in, usually during the same visit as your moving-in notification. The annual premium notice arrives around June and is split into instalments (typically 10, from June to March); from FY2026, cities may ask people who were not registered in Japan on 1 January to prepay the whole year. Pay at convenience stores (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart), banks or by auto-debit.
Since December 2024, Japan no longer issues paper health insurance cards. Use your My Number card registered as a health insurance card, or the free certificate of insurance eligibility (資格確認書) your city office sends you. File the income declaration every year, even with zero income — otherwise you lose the 70% reduction.
The MEXT (Monbukagakusho) scholarship pays a monthly allowance, tuition and your air ticket — not insurance. MEXT’s guidelines require grantees to enroll in NHI on arrival, so the premiums come out of your allowance.
NHI is mandatory and excellent — but it leaves you with the 30% co-pay and does not include personal liability, English-language assistance, repatriation or cover outside Japan. For these gaps we’ve reviewed the student plans available for Japan. See all Japan student health insurance plans →
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Related guides: Student health insurance in Japan — NHI guide · Japan My Number card and health insurance for students 2026
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