Cancellation refunds are to be paid as a lump sum.

①Where, within one year after a ground set out in Article 9, paragraph (1), item (i) or item (ii) arises with respect to a mutual aid policyholder, that person becomes a mutual aid policyholder again without having requested payment of mutual aid benefits, and that person so applies, the numbers of months of paid premiums for the earlier and later mutual aid contracts are aggregated for each same premium unit. The same applies where, within one year after a mutual aid policyholder concerning a mutual aid contract concluded in the capacity of an individual small-scale enterprise (limited to one set out in Article 2, paragraph (1), item (iv)) cancels the mutual aid contract pursuant to the provisions of Article 7, paragraph (3) in a case specified by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, or after a ground set out in the items of paragraph (4) of that Article arises with respect to a mutual aid policyholder, those persons (excluding a person who has transferred a conditional right pursuant to the proviso to Article 15) become mutual aid policyholders again without having requested payment of a cancellation refund, and those persons so apply.

②Where a person who has acquired the whole of the business of a mutual aid policyholder concerning a mutual aid contract concluded in the capacity of an individual small-scale enterprise (excluding a person for whom the number of months of paid premiums has ever been aggregated under this paragraph with respect to that mutual aid contract) alone by transfer or succeeded to it by inheritance (in either case, limited to the spouse or child of that mutual aid policyholder), and who has the right to receive payment of all of the mutual aid benefits, etc. concerning the mutual aid contract of that mutual aid policyholder (hereinafter in this paragraph and Article 15 referred to as the "former mutual aid contract") (including a person who has received the transfer of a conditional right pursuant to the proviso to Article 15), within one year from the date of that transfer or the commencement of the inheritance and without having requested payment of those mutual aid benefits, etc., concludes a mutual aid contract in the capacity of an individual small-scale enterprise, and that person so applies, the numbers of months of paid premiums for that former mutual aid contract and the newly concluded mutual aid contract are aggregated for each same premium unit.

The right to receive payment of mutual aid benefits, etc. may not be transferred, offered as security or seized; provided, however, that this does not apply where the right has been succeeded to by inheritance, where the right to receive payment of mutual aid benefits, etc. concerning the former mutual aid contract that is the subject of the aggregation is transferred to a person who intends to apply for aggregation under Article 13, paragraph (2) on the condition that the person makes that application, or where the right is seized by a disposition for delinquent national taxes (including a disposition made in the same manner).

Where there is a person who has received payment of mutual aid benefits, etc. by deception or other wrongful conduct, the Organization may have that person return those mutual aid benefits, etc.

Where the Organization is to pay mutual aid benefits, etc. to a mutual aid policyholder, a surviving family member of the policyholder or a former mutual aid policyholder, and there are mutual aid benefits, etc. to be returned under the preceding Article, premiums (including surcharges) to be paid, or loan principal or interest to be repaid concerning a loan to a mutual aid policyholder or former mutual aid policyholder under Article 15, paragraph (2), item (viii) of the Act on the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan, Independent Administrative Agency (Act No. 147 of 2002; hereinafter referred to as the "Act on the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan, Independent Administrative Agency"), the Organization may deduct these from those mutual aid benefits, etc.

①Where the Organization has made a loan to a mutual aid policyholder or former mutual aid policyholder under Article 15, paragraph (2), item (viii) of the Act on the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan, Independent Administrative Agency, and there is still loan principal or interest to be repaid after the lapse of a period specified by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry after the due date for repayment of that loan, the Organization may, beginning with the premium unit with the smallest number of months of paid premiums among the premium units concerning the premiums paid by that mutual aid policyholder or former mutual aid policyholder, successively draw down the premiums paid for that premium unit and apply them to repayment of that loan principal or interest.

②For the purpose of applying Article 9, paragraph (1) and Article 12, paragraph (1) to a mutual aid policyholder or former mutual aid policyholder whose number of months of paid premiums has decreased because premiums were drawn down pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, that number of months of paid premiums is deemed not to have decreased.

①For each month from the month containing the day on which the mutual aid contract took effect through the month containing the day on which a ground set out in the items of Article 9, paragraph (1) arose or the day on which the mutual aid contract was cancelled, a mutual aid policyholder must pay the premium for that month at the monthly premium as of the last day of that month (for the month containing the day on which a ground set out in the items of that paragraph arose or the day on which the mutual aid contract was cancelled, as of the day on which that ground arose or the day of that cancellation), by the last day of the following month (for the premium for the month containing the day on which the mutual aid contract took effect, by the last day of the second month after the month containing the day on which the mutual aid contract took effect).

②The premium for each month may not be paid in installments.

③Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), a mutual aid policyholder may refrain from paying premiums only where the Organization has given its consent. In this case, the Organization must not give that consent except in cases specified by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Where a mutual aid policyholder has paid a premium on or before the last day of the month preceding that month, the Organization may reduce its amount as provided by Order of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

①Where a person who is to pay a premium fails to pay it by the payment due date, the Organization may have that person pay a surcharge.

②The amount of a surcharge must not exceed the amount calculated on the amount of the premium at the rate of 14.6 percent per annum, for the number of days from the day following the payment due date to the day preceding the date of payment.

Where the Organization finds that a person who is to pay a premium is unable to pay it by the payment due date due to a disaster or other unavoidable grounds, it may extend the payment due date.

①A person who has the right to receive payment of mutual aid benefits or a cancellation refund has the right to be paid, in priority to other creditors, out of the property of the Organization with respect to the amount of those mutual aid benefits or that cancellation refund (where there are sums of money that the Organization may deduct from those mutual aid benefits or that cancellation refund pursuant to the provisions of Article 16-2, the remaining amount after deducting those sums from those mutual aid benefits or that cancellation refund, respectively).

②The amount of the mutual aid benefits or the cancellation refund prescribed in the preceding paragraph is, where there is loan principal or interest which the Organization may repay by drawing down the premiums relating to those mutual aid benefits or that cancellation refund pursuant to the provisions of Article 16-3, paragraph (1), the amount calculated by drawing down those premiums pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph.

③The rank of the statutory lien under paragraph (1) is to be next after general statutory liens under the provisions of the Civil Code (Act No. 89 of 1896).

Where a fraction of less than 50 sen arises in the amount of mutual aid benefits, etc. or in the present value amount, it is to be rounded down, and where a fraction of 50 sen or more but less than 1 yen arises, it is to be rounded up to 1 yen.

①The right to receive payment of mutual aid benefits, etc. is extinguished by prescription if not exercised for five years from the time when it becomes exercisable, and the right to receive payment of premiums and the right to receive a refund of premiums are extinguished by prescription if not exercised for two years from the time when they become exercisable.

②Where a surviving family member who has the right to receive payment of mutual aid benefits is unable to request payment of the mutual aid benefits because it is unknown whether a person of a higher rank or of the same rank is alive or dead, or where that person is, the extinctive prescription of that right is not to be completed within six months from the day on which the request became possible.

In calculating a period relating to a request for payment of mutual aid benefits, etc. or a request for a refund of premiums, where the request is made by mail, or by correspondence delivery prescribed in Article 2, paragraph (2) of the Act on Correspondence Delivery by Private Business Operators (Act No. 99 of 2002) provided by a general correspondence delivery service provider prescribed in paragraph (6) of that Article or a specified correspondence delivery service provider prescribed in paragraph (9) of that Article, the number of days required for sending is not counted in that period.