National Pension Act

A body whose members are insured persons engaged in the same type of business or work, or another similar body whose members are insured persons, that is specified by Cabinet Order, may, upon entrustment by an insured person who is a member of the body, make the notification under Article 12, paragraph (1) relating to that insured person.

A body prescribed in the preceding paragraph (hereinafter referred to as a "National Pension Affairs Association") must, when intending to accept the entrustment prescribed in that paragraph, receive the authorization of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may rescind the authorization under the preceding paragraph, where the Minister finds that a National Pension Affairs Association that has received the authorization under that paragraph has neglected to process the affairs it is to carry out, or that its processing is significantly improper.

A person who is found to be capable of properly and reliably carrying out affairs concerning the application under Article 90, paragraph (1) (hereinafter in this Article referred to as an "application for full exemption"), and whom the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare designates based on an application from that person (hereinafter in this Article referred to as a "designated full exemption application handler"), may, upon entrustment by an insured person or a person who had been an insured person who falls under any of the items of that paragraph (limited to a person specified by Ministerial Order; hereinafter in this Article referred to as "insured persons meeting the full exemption requirements"), make an application for full exemption relating to insured persons meeting the full exemption requirements.

When insured persons meeting the full exemption requirements entrust a designated full exemption application handler with an application for full exemption, the application for full exemption is deemed to have been made on the day on which that entrustment was made, for the purpose of applying Article 90, paragraphs (1) and (2).

When a designated full exemption application handler is entrusted with an application for full exemption by insured persons meeting the full exemption requirements, the designated full exemption application handler must, without delay, make that application for full exemption, as specified by Ministerial Order.

The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may, to the extent necessary for a designated full exemption application handler to properly and reliably carry out the affairs under paragraph (1), provide information concerning the fact that insured persons meeting the full exemption requirements fall under any of the items of Article 90, paragraph (1).

If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds that a designated full exemption application handler has neglected to process the affairs it is to perform, or that its processing is significantly improper, the Minister may order the designated full exemption application handler to take the measures necessary for improvement.

If a designated full exemption application handler violates an order under the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may rescind the designation under paragraph (1).

A designated full exemption application handler (or, where it is a juridical person, its officer) or its employee, or a person who was formerly one of these, must not, without justifiable grounds, divulge any secret that has come to their knowledge in connection with the affairs under paragraph (1).

The procedure for the designation under paragraph (1) and other matters necessary for the enforcement of the preceding paragraphs are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

The State, local governments, a national university corporation prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the National University Corporation Act (Act No. 112 of 2003), a public university corporation prescribed in Article 68, paragraph (1) of the Local Independent Administrative Agency Act (Act No. 118 of 2003), a school corporation prescribed in Article 3 of the Private Schools Act (Act No. 270 of 1949), and any other juridical person specified by Cabinet Order, that the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare designates, on the application of that juridical person, as one found capable of properly and reliably carrying out the affairs concerning the application under Article 90-3, paragraph (1) (hereinafter in this Article referred to as an "application for the student payment special provision") (hereinafter in this Article referred to as a "student payment special provision processing corporation"), may, on entrustment from an insured person who is a student of a university prescribed in Article 83 of the School Education Act or other educational institution specified by Cabinet Order that it establishes (hereinafter in this Article referred to as a "student insured person"), make the application for the student payment special provision pertaining to that student insured person.

If a student insured person entrusts a student payment special provision processing corporation with an application for the student payment special provision, for the purpose of applying Article 90-3, paragraph (1) and Article 90, paragraph (2) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 90-3, paragraph (2), the application for the student payment special provision is deemed to have been made on the day of that entrustment.

If a student payment special provision processing corporation receives an entrustment of an application for the student payment special provision from a student insured person, it must, without delay, make that application for the student payment special provision as specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds that a student payment special provision processing corporation has neglected to process the affairs it is to perform, or that its processing is significantly improper, the Minister may order the student payment special provision processing corporation to take the measures necessary for improvement.

If a student payment special provision processing corporation violates an order under the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may rescind the designation under paragraph (1).

The procedure for the designation under paragraph (1) and other matters necessary for the enforcement of the preceding paragraphs are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

A body that has as its members insured persons engaged in the same kind of business or work, or any other similar body, specified by Cabinet Order, that the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare designates, on the application of that body, as one found capable of properly and reliably performing the affairs under the following paragraph (hereinafter in this Article referred to as a "premium payment verification organisation"), may perform the affairs under that paragraph.

A premium payment verification organisation is to perform the affairs of ascertaining, upon entrustment from an insured person who is a member of that organisation or another similarly situated person, whether or not the premiums pertaining to that insured person have been paid by the due date for payment (referred to as the "fact of premium arrears" in the following paragraph), and notifying the insured person of the result.

The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may, in response to a request from a premium payment verification organisation, provide information concerning the fact of premium arrears to the extent necessary for the premium payment verification organisation to properly perform the affairs under the preceding paragraph.

If the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare finds that a premium payment verification organisation has neglected to process the affairs it is to perform, or that its processing is significantly improper, the Minister may order the premium payment verification organisation to take the measures necessary for improvement.

If a premium payment verification organisation violates an order under the preceding paragraph, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare may rescind the designation under paragraph (1).

An officer or employee of a premium payment verification organisation, or a person who formerly held such a position, must not, without justifiable grounds, divulge any secret that has come to their knowledge in connection with the affairs under paragraph (2).

The procedure for the designation under paragraph (1) and other matters necessary in connection with a premium payment verification organisation are specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.