John has a question about the Japanese pension system. He writes: "I am a permanent, legal Japan resident, and worked full time for a foreign company in Tokyo for six years. I am now retired and the Japan pension office advised that this company did not enroll me in any government pension plan during those six years. Do I have a legal basis for suing this company, which still operates in Japan, for lost pension income?"

Regardless of nationality, anybody working full-time for a corporation has to join the employees' pension insurance (kōsei nenkin) system in principle. To be more exact, all corporations of any size, as well as companies (and other bodies, or even individuals) employing five or more people (with the exception of certain industries) have an obligation to register their workers at a local pension office so that they all join the insurance program. The employees' health insurance (kenkō hoken) program works in a similar way, but let's concentrate on the pension system in this column.

Eligibility for kōsei nenkin is not affected by the form of your employment contract (whether it is for a definite or indefinite term, etc.), and if you regularly work more than 30 hours a week for more than two months in a corporation (although the exact criteria for eligibility are complicated), it is very likely that you can — and must — join the insurance scheme.