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Agreement Between The United States And Japan
Agreement Between The United States
And Japan
Contents
Introduction 1
Coverage and Social Security taxes 2
Certificate of coverage 3
Monthly benefits 5
A Japanese pension may affect your U.S. benefit 9
What you need to know about Medicare 9
Claims for benefits 9
Japanese social insurance agencies 11
Authority to collect information for a certificate of coverage
(see pages 3-9) 11
Contacting Social Security 12
Introduction
An agreement effective October 1, 2005,
between the United States and Japan improves
Social Security protection for people who work
or have worked in both countries. It helps
many people who, without the agreement,
would not be eligible for monthly retirement,
disability or survivors benets under the Social
Security system of one or both countries. It
also helps people who would otherwise have to
pay Social Security taxes to both countries on
the same earnings.
For the United States, the agreement
covers Social Security taxes (including the
U.S. Medicare portion) and Social Security
retirement, disability and survivors benets.
It does not cover benets under the U.S.
Medicare program or the Supplemental Security
Income program.
For Japan, the agreement covers Social
Security taxes (including the Japanese health
insurance portion, in some cases) and Social
Security retirement, disability and survivors
benets. It does not cover the National Pension
Fund and the Employees’ Pension Fund which
are corporate pension funds under which
participation and contributions are voluntary.
The pension system for members of local
assemblies, a supplemental pension system for
local government workers, is also not covered
by the agreement. The agreement also does
SocialSecurity.gov
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Agreement Between The United States And Japan
not apply to the Old-Age Welfare Pension or
other Japanese non-contributory, meanstested
allowances paid from general revenues.
This booklet covers highlights of the agreement
and explains how it may help you while you
work and when you apply for benets.
The agreement may help you, your family
and your employer
• While you work—If your work is covered by
both the U.S. and Japanese Social Security
systems, you (and your employer, if you are
employed) would normally have to pay Social
Security taxes to both countries for the same
work. However, the agreement eliminates
this double coverage so you pay taxes to
only one system (see pages 2-9).
• When you apply for benets—You may
have some Social Security credits in both
the United States and Japan but not have
enough to be eligible for benets in one
country or the other. The agreement makes
it easier to qualify for benets by letting you
add together your Social Security credits
in both countries. For more details, see the
section on “Monthly benets” beginning on
page 5.
Coverage and Social Security taxes
Before the agreement, employees, employers
and self-employed people could, under certain
circumstances, be required to pay Social
Security taxes to both the United States and
Japan for the same work.
Under the agreement, if you work as an
employee in the United States, you normally
will be covered by the United States, and you
and your employer will pay Social Security
taxes only to the United States. If you work as
an employee in Japan, you normally will be
covered by Japan, and you and your employer
pay Social Security taxes only to Japan.
On the other hand, if your employer sends you
from one country to work for that employer or an
afliate in the other country for ve years or less,
you will continue to be covered by your home
country and you will be exempt from coverage
in the other country. For example, if a U.S.
company sends an employee to work for that
employer or an afliate in Japan for no more
than ve years, the employer and the employee
will continue to pay only U.S. Social Security
taxes and will not have to pay in Japan.
Special rules apply to self-employed persons
who, without the agreement, would have to pay
Social Security taxes to both countries (see the
table on pages 2-3).
Summary of agreement rules
The following table shows whether your work
is covered under the U.S. or Japanese Social
Security system. If you are covered under U.S.
Social Security, you and your employer (if you
are an employee) must pay U.S. Social Security
taxes. If you are covered under the Japanese
system, you and your employer (if you are
an employee) must pay Japanese Social
Security taxes. The next section (beginning on
page 3) explains how to get a form from the
country where you are covered that will prove
you are exempt in the other country.
Your work status Coverage and taxes
You are working in Japan:
For a U.S. employer who:
• Sent you to work in Japan for ve years or less U.S.
• Sent you to work in Japan for more than ve years Japan
• Hired you in Japan Japan
For a non-U.S. employer Japan
For the U.S. government and you are a:
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Your work status Coverage and taxes
• U.S. national
U.S. (either Social Security or federal
retirement program)
• Japanese national Japan
You are working in the U.S.:
For a Japanese employer who:
• Sent you to work in the U.S. for ve years or less Japan
• Sent you to work in the U.S. for more than ve years U.S.
• Hired you in the U.S. U.S.
For a non-Japanese employer U.S.
For the Japanese government and you are a:
• Japanese national Japan
• U.S. national U.S.
You are self-employed and you:
• Work only in the U.S. U.S.
• Normally work in the U.S. but transfer your business
activity to Japan for ve years or less
U.S.
• Work only in Japan Japan
• Normally work in Japan but transfer your business
activity to the U.S. for ve years or less
Japan
If this table doesn’t seem to describe your situation and you are:
• Working in the U.S.
Write to the U.S. address on page 3 for
further information.
• Working in Japan
Write to the appropriate Japanese address
on page 11 for further information.
NOTE: As the table indicates, a U.S. worker employed in Japan can be covered by U.S. Social
Security only if he or she works for a U.S. employer. A U.S. employer includes a corporation
organized under the laws of the United States or any state, a partnership if at least two-thirds of
the partners are U.S. residents, a person who is a resident of the U.S. or a trust if all the trustees
are U.S. residents. The term also includes a foreign afliate of a U.S. employer if the U.S.
employer has entered into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under section
3121(l) of the Internal Revenue Code to pay Social Security taxes for U.S. citizens and residents
employed by the afliate.
Certicate of coverage
A certicate of coverage issued by one
country serves as proof of exemption from
Social Security taxes on the same earnings in
the other country.
Certicates for employees
To establish an exemption from compulsory
coverage and taxes under the Japanese
system, your employer must request a certicate
of coverage (form USA/J 6) from the U.S. at
this address:
Social Security Administration
Ofce of International Programs
P.O. Box 17741
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7741
USA
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If preferred, the request may be sent by FAX
to (410) 966-1861. Please note this fax number
should only be used to request certicates
of coverage.
No special form is required to request a
certicate but the request must be in writing and
provide the following information:
• Full name of worker;
• Date and place of birth;
• Citizenship;
• Country of worker’s permanent residence;
• U.S. Social Security number;
• Date of hire;
• Country of hire;
• Name and address of the employer in the
U.S. and Japan;
• Date of transfer and anticipated date of
return; and
• A statement, signed by your employer,
certifying whether or not you, and all family
members who live with you in Japan, are
covered by an employer-sponsored or other
private health insurance plan while in Japan
(see Note on page 5).
In addition, your employer must indicate if you
remain an employee of the U.S. company while
working in Japan or if you become an employee
of the U.S. company’s afliate in Japan. If
you become an employee of an afliate, your
employer must indicate if the U.S. company has
an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service
under section 3121(l) of the Internal Revenue
Code to pay U.S. Social Security taxes for U.S.
citizens and residents employed by the afliate
and, if yes, the effective date of the agreement.
Your employer can also request a certicate
of U.S. coverage for you over the Internet
using a special online request form available
at www.socialsecurity.gov/coc. Only an
employer can use the online form to request a
certicate of coverage. A self-employed person
must submit a request by mail or fax.
NOTE: In addition to retirement, disability and
survivors benets, Japanese Social Security
taxes cover several other benet programs
including Japan’s health insurance program.
If the employer or a self-employed person
certies the worker and all family members
who accompany the worker to Japan are
covered by an employer-sponsored or other
private health insurance plan while in Japan,
the worker and accompanying family members
can be exempted from paying Japanese
Social Security taxes including to Japan’s
health insurance program and cannot receive
health care services or other benets under
the Japanese health insurance system. If the
employer or self-employed person certies the
worker and all family members who accompany
the worker to Japan are not covered by an
employer-sponsored or other private health
insurance plan while in Japan, the worker
and accompanying family members must pay
Japanese Social Security taxes for Japan’s
health insurance system.
To establish your exemption from coverage
under the U.S. Social Security system, your
employer in Japan must request a certicate
of coverage (form J/USA 6) from the local
Japanese social insurance agency that collects
your Social Security taxes in Japan.
The same information required for a certicate
of coverage from the United States is needed to
get a certicate from Japan except that:
• You must show your Japanese Basic
Pension number rather than your U.S. Social
Security number; and
• Your employer doesn’t need to certify
whether you and your family are or are not
covered by private health insurance.
Certicates for self-employed people
If you are self-employed and would normally
have to pay Social Security taxes to both the
U.S. and Japanese systems, you can establish
your exemption from one of the taxes.
• If you will be covered by the United States
(see table on page 6), write to the Social
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Security Administration at the address on
page 3; or
• If you will be covered by Japan (see the
table on pages 2-3), write to the local
Japanese social insurance agency that
collects your Japanese Social Security taxes.
Be sure to provide the following information in
your letter:
• Full name;
• Date and place of birth;
• Citizenship;
• Country of permanent residence;
• U.S. Social Security number and/or
Japanese Basic Pension number;
• Nature of self-employment activity;
• Dates the activity was or will be performed;
• Name and address of your trade or business
in both countries; and
• If you are requesting a certicate from the
United States, a statement certifying whether
or not you, and all family members who live
with you in Japan, are or are not covered
by a private health insurance plan while in
Japan (see Note on page 5).
Eective date of coverage exemption
The certicate of coverage you receive from
one country will show the effective date of your
exemption from paying Social Security taxes in
the other country. Generally, this will be the date
you began working in the other country, but no
earlier than the effective date of the agreement.
Certicates of coverage issued by Japan should
be retained by the employer in the United States
in case of an audit by the IRS. No copies should
be sent to IRS unless specically requested by
IRS. However, a self-employed person must
attach a photocopy of the certicate to his or
her income tax return each year as proof of the
U.S. exemption.
NOTE: Japanese certicates of coverage
will be issued using Japanese characters
not Roman characters. It will be up to the
employer in the United States or the self-
employed person to have the Japanese
certicates translated.
Copies of certicates of coverage issued by
the United States will be provided for both the
employee and the employer. It will be their
responsibility to present the certicate to the
Japanese authorities when requested to do
so. To avoid any difculties, your employer (or
you, if you are self-employed) should request a
certicate as early as possible, preferably before
your work in the other country begins.
If you or your employer request a certicate of
coverage, you should read the Privacy Act and
Paperwork Reduction Act Statements at the end
of this booklet.
Monthly benets
The following table shows the various types of
Social Security benets payable under the U.S.
and Japanese Social Security systems and
briey describes the eligibility requirements that
normally apply for each type of benet. If you
don’t meet the normal requirements for these
benets, the agreement may help you to qualify
(see page 8).
It is important to know that Japan pays
benets through a two-tiered program. The
rst tier, called the National Pension (NP), is a
contributory, universal program that covers all
residents of Japan. The second tier is made
up of four supplementary earnings-related
programs, the most important of which is called
the Employees’ Pension Insurance (EPI). The
EPI covers employed people in commerce
and industry, including miners and merchant
seaman. The three other earnings-related
programs cover distinct occupational groups.
The term EPI is sometimes used to refer to all
four second-tier programs.
This table is only a general guide. You can
get more specic information about U.S.
benets at any U.S. Social Security ofce or by
calling our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213
or by visiting Social Security’s website at
www.socialsecurity.gov. You can get more
detailed information about the Japanese system
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by writing to the Japanese system to which
you pay Japanese Social Security taxes or by
visiting the Japanese Social Security system’s
website at www.ipss.go.jp/index-e.html.
Under U.S. Social Security, you may earn up to
four credits each year depending on the amount
of your covered earnings. The amount needed
to earn a work credit goes up slightly each
year. For more information, see How You Earn
Credits (SSA Publication No. 05-10072).
Under the Japanese system, credits are
measured in months. To simplify the information
in the table, requirements are shown in years
of credits.
Retirement or old-age benets
United States Japan
Worker—Full benet at full retirement
age.* Reduced benet as early as age 62.
Required work credits range from one and
one-half to 10 years (10 years if age 62 in
1991 or later).
Worker—NP—Full retirement age is 65. Reduced benets are
payable as early as age 60. A minimum of 25 years of coverage
is required.
EPI—Full benet at age 60 (age 55 for seamen and miners). A
minimum of 25 years of coverage is required.
*Full retirement age for people born before 1938 is age 65. The full retirement age increases gradually until
it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Disability benets
United States Japan
Worker—Under full
retirement age* can get
benet if unable to do any
substantial gainful work
for at least a year. One
and one-half to 10 years
credit needed, depending
on age at date of onset.
Some recent work credits
also needed unless
worker is blind.
Worker—NP—Class I disability benets are payable if totally disabled and
require constant care. Class II disability benets are payable if unable to work
due to disability. The person must be covered under NP (or, if aged 60 through
64, be a resident of Japan) on the date of rst medical examination establishing
the disability and have coverage credited for at least two-thirds of the period
between age 20 and the date of the medical examination.
Worker—EPI—Class I and Class II disability benets are payable. The
person must be covered under EPI on the date of rst medical examination
establishing the disability and have coverage credited for at least two-thirds of
the period between age 20 and the date of the medical examination.
Class III disability benets are payable to people with a partial disability that
does not prevent them from working. A lump-sum disability allowance may be
payable if the degree of disability is less than Class III.
*Full retirement age for people born before 1938 is age 65. The full retirement age increases gradually until
it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Family benets to dependents of retired or disabled people
United States Japan
Spouse—Full benet at full retirement age*
or at any age if caring for the worker’s entitled
child under age 16 (or disabled before age 22).
Reduced benet as early as age 62 if not caring
for a child.
Spouse—NP—No provision for spouse of retired or
disabled worker.
EPI—No provision. However, a supplement is payable
to a retired or disabled (Class I or Class II only) worker
who has at least 20 years of EPI coverage (not counting
NP coverage or exempt periods) and has a dependent
spouse. An additional supplement is payable for a
dependent spouse under age 65.
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Family benets to dependents of retired or disabled people
Divorced Spouse—Full benet at full
retirement age.* Reduced benet as early as
age 62. Must be unmarried and have been
married to the worker for at least 10 years.
Divorced Spouse—No provision under either the NP or
the EPI.
United States Japan
Children—If unmarried, up to age 18 (age 19 if
in an elementary or secondary school full time)
or any age if disabled before age 22.
Children—NP—No provision for children of retired
worker. A supplement is payable to a Class I or Class
II disabled worker for dependent children under age 18
(age 20 if disabled).
EPI—A supplement is payable to a retired or disabled
(Class I or Class II only) worker for dependent children
under age 18 (age 20 if disabled).
*Full retirement age for people born before 1938 is age 65. The full retirement age increases gradually until
it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Survivors benets
United States Japan
Survivor benets payable to the
following categories:
Widow or Widower—Full benet at
full retirement age* or at any age if
caring for the deceased’s entitled child
under age 16 (or disabled before age
22). Reduced benet as early as age
60 (or age 50 if disabled) if not caring
for child. Benets may be continued if
remarriage occurs after age 60 (or age
50 if disabled).
Divorced Widow or Widower—Same
as widow or widower if marriage lasted
at least 10 years.
Children—Same as for children of
retired or disabled worker.
NP—The deceased must be covered or receiving a pension at
the time of death and have coverage credit for at least two-thirds
of the period from age 20 to the date of death.
Benets payable to a dependent widow who is caring for the
deceased’s child under age 18 (age 20 if disabled). Widow’s
benet includes a supplement for children.
A separate benet payable to orphans under age 18
(age 20 if disabled).
EPI—The deceased must be covered or receiving a pension at
the time of death and have coverage credit for at least two-thirds
of the period from age 20 to the date of death.
Benets payable to a dependent widow who is caring for the
deceased’s child under age 18 (age 20 if disabled). Widow’s
benet includes a supplement for children.
If there is no widow caring for the deceased’s child, benets may
be paid to another survivor of the worker in the order of priority
listed below.
1. orphans
2. childless widow
3. widower
4. parents age 55 or older
5. grandchildren under age 18 (age 20 if disabled)
6. grandparents age 55 or older
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Survivors benets
United States Japan
Lump-Sum Death Benet—A one-time
payment not to exceed $255 payable
on the death of an insured worker.
Lump-Sum Death Benet—
NP—Benet payable if the deceased contributed for at least 3
years, was not entitled to a benet, and had dependents who are
not entitled to survivors benets.
EPI—No provision.
*Full retirement age for people born before 1938 is age 65. The full retirement age increases gradually until
it reaches age 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Refund of contributions
United States Japan
No refund of properly paid contributions. Foreign workers can receive a partial refund of NP
and EPI contributions if the worker is not eligible for
any Japanese benets, has contributed for 6 months
or longer under NP or EPI, left Japan after November
8, 1994, and requests the refund within 2 years after
leaving Japan.
How benets can be paid
If you have Social Security credits in both the
United States and Japan, you may be eligible
for benets from one or both countries. If you
meet all the basic requirements under one
country’s system, you will get a regular benet
from that country. If you don’t meet the basic
requirements, the agreement may help you
qualify for a benet as explained below.
• Benets from the United States—If you
don’t have enough work credits under the
U.S. system to qualify for regular benets,
you may be able to qualify for a partial
benet from the United States based on
both U.S. and Japanese credits. However,
to be eligible to have your Japanese credits
counted, you must have earned at least six
credits (generally one and one-half years of
work) under the U.S. system. If you already
have enough credits under the U.S. system
to qualify for a benet, the United States
cannot count your Japanese credits.
• Benets from Japan—Social Security
credits from both countries can also be
counted, when necessary, to meet the
eligibility requirements for Japanese
benets. To be eligible to have your U.S. and
Japanese credits counted, you must have at
least 1 month of coverage credited under the
Japanese system.
How credits get counted
You do not have to do anything to have your
credits in one country counted by the other
country. If we need to count your credits under
the Japanese system to help you qualify
for a U.S. benet, we will get a copy of your
Japanese record directly from Japan when you
apply for benets. If Japan needs to count your
U.S. credits to help you qualify for a Japanese
benet, they will get a copy of your U.S. record
directly from the Social Security Administration
when you apply for the Japanese benet.
Although each country may count your credits
in the other country, your credits are not actually
transferred from one country to the other. They
remain on your record in the country where you
earned them and can also be used to qualify for
benets there.
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Computation of U.S. benet under
the agreement
When a U.S. benet becomes payable as a
result of counting both U.S. and Japanese
Social Security credits, an initial benet is
determined based on your U.S. earnings as if
your entire career had been completed under
the U.S. system. This initial benet is then
reduced to reect the fact that Japanese credits
helped to make the benet payable. The amount
of the reduction will depend on the number of
U.S. credits: the more U.S. credits, the smaller
the reduction; and the fewer U.S. credits, the
larger the reduction.
A Japanese pension may aect your
U.S. benet
If you qualify for Social Security benets from
both the United States and Japan and you
didn’t need the agreement to qualify for either
benet, the amount of your U.S. benet may
be reduced. This is a result of a provision in
U.S. law which can affect the way your benet
is gured if you also receive a pension based
on work that was not covered by U.S. Social
Security. For more information, call our toll-free
number, 1-800-772-1213, or visit our website,
www.socialsecurity.gov, and get a copy of
our publication, Windfall Elimination Provision
(Publication No. 05-10045). If you are outside
the United States, you may write to us at the
address on the inside cover.
What you need to know
about Medicare
Medicare is the U.S. national health insurance
program for people age 65 or older or who are
disabled. Medicare has four parts:
• Hospital insurance (Part A) helps pay
for inpatient hospital care and certain
follow-up services.
• Medical insurance (Part B) helps pay for
doctors’ services, outpatient hospital care
and other medical services.
• Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) are
available in many areas. People with
Medicare Parts A and B can choose to
receive all of their health care services
through a provider organization under Part C.
• Prescription drug coverage (Part D) helps
pay for medications doctors prescribe for
medical treatment.
You are eligible for free hospital insurance at
age 65 if you have worked long enough under
U.S. Social Security to qualify for a retirement
benet. People born in 1929 or later need 40
credits (about 10 years of covered work) to
qualify for retirement benets.
Although the agreement between the United
States and Japan allows the Social Security
Administration to count your Japanese credits to
help you qualify for U.S. retirement, disability or
survivor benets, the agreement doesn’t cover
Medicare benets. As a result, we cannot count
your credits in Japan to establish entitlement to
free Medicare hospital insurance.
For more information about Medicare,
call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213,
and ask for the publication, Medicare
(Publication No, 05-10043) or visit Medicare’s
website at www.medicare.gov.
Claims for benets
If you live in the United States and wish to apply
for U.S. or Japanese benets:
• Visit or write any U.S. Social Security
ofce; or
• Phone our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213,
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. any business day. People
who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our
toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.
You can apply for Japanese benets at any U.S.
Social Security ofce by completing application
form J/USA 1 to apply for retirement or disability
benets or application form J/USA 2 to apply for
survivors’ benets.
If you live in Japan and wish to apply for U.S. or
Japanese benets, contact:
• the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo or the Social
Security Division, Veterans Affairs Regional
ofce, American Embassy, 1131 Roxas
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Boulevard, 0930 Manila, PHILIPPINES, to
le for U.S. benets; or
• any Japanese Social Security ofce to le for
Japanese benets.
You can apply with one country and ask to
have your application considered as a claim for
benets from the other country. Information from
your application will then be sent to the other
country. Each country will process the claim
under its own laws—counting credits from the
other country when appropriate—and notify you
of its decision.
If you haven’t applied for benets before, you
may need to provide certain information and
documents when you apply. These include
the worker’s U.S. Social Security number, the
worker’s Japanese Basic Pension number, proof
of age for all claimants, evidence of the worker’s
U.S. earnings in the past 24 months and
information about the worker’s coverage under
the Japanese system. You may wish to call the
Social Security ofce before you go there to see
if any other information is needed.
Payment of benets
Each country pays its own benet. U.S.
payments are made by the U.S. Department
of Treasury each month and cover benets
for the preceding month. Japanese benets
are paid by direct deposit on the 15
th
of even-
numbered months in Japan and cover benets
for the preceding month and the current month.
For overseas payments, the benet is paid by
direct deposit approximately 3 to 7 days after
the 15
th
of even-numbered months because the
exchange rate conversion is done on the 15
th
of the month and also covers benets for the
preceding month and the current month.
Absence from U.S. territory
Normally, persons who are not U.S. citizens
may receive U.S. Social Security benets
while outside the U.S. only if they meet certain
requirements. Under the agreement, however, if
you are a U.S. or Japanese citizen, a refugee, a
stateless person, or a person who is eligible for
dependents or survivors benets based on the
Social Security record of one of these persons,
you may receive benets as long as you reside
in Japan. If you are not a U.S. or Japanese
citizen and live in another country, you may not
be able to receive benets. The restrictions on
U.S. benets are explained in the publication,
Your Payments While You Are Outside the
United States (Publication No. 05-10137).
Appeals
If you disagree with the decision made on your
claim for benets under the agreement, contact
any U.S. or Japanese Social Security ofce. The
people there can tell you what you need to do to
appeal the decision.
The Japanese Social Security authorities will
review your appeal if it affects your rights under
the Japanese system, while U.S. Social Security
authorities will review your appeal if it affects
your rights under the U.S. system. Since each
country’s decisions are made independently
of the other, a decision by one country on a
particular issue may not always conform with
the decision made by the other country on the
same issue.
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Japanese social insurance agencies
For more information about Japan’s Social Security program:
If your most recent Social Security tax
was paid to the:
Write to:
National Pension
Employee’s Pension Insurance
Seamen’s Insurance
Social Insurance Agency
Ofce of Pension Systems Co-ordination
Pension Insurance Division
Administration Department
1-2-2, Kasumigaseki
Chiyoda-Ky Tokyo
JAPAN
National Public Service Mutual Aid Federation of National Public Service Personnel
Mutual Aid Associations
Pension Department
1-1-10, Kudanminami
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
JAPAN
Local Public Service Mutual Aid Pension Fund Association for
Local Government Ofcials
Pension Division
Pension Operation Department
Akasaka DS Building
8-5-26, Akasaka
Minato-ku, Tokyo
JAPAN
Private School Teachers’ and Employees’
Mutual Aid
The Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for
Private Schools Of Japan
1-7-5, Yushima
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
JAPAN
Authority to collect information
for a certicate of coverage
(see pages 3-9)
Privacy Act
The Privacy Act requires us to notify you that
we are authorized to collect this information by
section 233 of the Social Security Act. While it is
not mandatory for you to furnish the information
to the Social Security Administration, a
certicate of coverage cannot be issued unless
a request has been received. The information
is needed to enable SSA to determine if
work should be covered only under the U.S.
Social Security system in accordance with an
international agreement. Without the certicate,
work may be subject to taxation under both the
U.S. and the foreign Social Security systems.
12
Paperwork Reduction Act Notice
This information collection meets the clearance
requirements of 44 U.S.C. section 3507,
as amended by section 2 of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. You do not need to
answer these questions unless we display a
valid Ofce of Management and Budget control
number. We estimate that it will take you about
30 minutes to read the instructions, gather the
necessary facts, and answer the questions to
request a certicate of coverage.
Contacting Social Security
Visit our website
The most convenient way to conduct Social
Security business from anywhere at any
time, is to visit www.socialsecurity.gov.
There, you can:
• Apply for retirement, disability, and
Medicare benets;
• Find copies of our publications;
• Get answers to frequently
asked questions; and
• So much more!
Call us
If you don’t have access to the internet, we
offer many automated services by telephone,
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you’re in the
United States, call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213
or at our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, if you’re
deaf or hard of hearing.
If you need to speak to a person, we can answer
your calls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through
Friday. We ask for your patience during busy
periods since you may experience a higher than
usual rate of busy signals and longer hold times
to speak to us. We look forward to serving you.
For more information
To le a claim for U.S. or Japanese benets
under the agreement, follow the instructions on
pages 9-10.
To nd out more about U.S. Social Security
benets or for information about a claim for
benets, contact any U.S. Social Security ofce
or call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213.
If you live outside the United States, write to:
Social Security Administration
OIO—Totalization
P.O. Box 17049
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7049
USA
For more information about Japan’s Social
Security programs, contact any branch ofce of
a Japanese social insurance agency or refer to
the chart on page 11.
Do not worry if you are not sure which Japanese
social insurance agency to contact. If you do not
write to the proper one, the agency will forward
your inquiry or application to the correct one.
If you do not wish to le a claim for benets
but would like more information about the
agreement, write to:
Social Security Administration
Ofce of International Programs
P.O. Box 17741
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7741
USA
For additional information, visit our website,
www.socialsecurity.gov/international.
Social Security Administration
Publication No. 05-10165
August 2017
Agreement Between The United States And Japan
Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense
