Paying Pension is Required by Law

How have I lived in Japan for almost six years and no one told me I have to pay pension?

This English website is a good resource for all things Japanese Pension System related. I'm not saying that it's easy to understand. At all.

This one is quite good too, easier to understand, but also easier to go down the rabbit hole of horror stories.

The story goes, I have never paid pension (nenkin) in Japan. 

When I first arrived, I worked as an ALT "full time" for a dispatch company (they are all just about the same in terms of providing pension support).

Said company did not pay shakai hoken (company health insurance) or kosei nenkin (company pension), or help me to register for kokumin hoken or kokumin nenkin (national health insurance and pension), but they did instruct me to register for only the health insurance on my own.

It's like "pension" is a bad word or something no one ever talks about.

I didn't know that I was supposed to pay into the National Pension System, never got any bills in the mail, went back to the US after a year, no problem. 

This may be the case for most foreigners working temporarily in Japan. I've heard that a lot of companies even lie and say that foreigners don't have to pay. They don't want the financial burden of paying benefits.

Anyone with an address in Japan between 20-59 years old has to pay into the pension system, legally.

This doesn't mean that everyone does, regardless of nationality.

I think there's a lot of misunderstanding about who has to pay and how to do so if you aren't automatically signed up for kosei nenkin by your company. The above links note some exemptions for people with disabilities, low incomes, students, etc. But it's all so complicated.

When I came back to Japan, same story, ALT dispatch company. Then self employed, part timer, etc. so I thought I didn't have to pay into the system, if I didn't want to.

In the US, the system is different. It's not likely that current social security payments cover basic living costs. So you'll understand my lack of trust in such a system.

The kokumin nenkin form that came with the company health insurance form.

Last week, my husband started a new job with company health insurance and pension benefits.

His HR manager told him that I should sign paperwork to receive their benefits, and also that I had to pay pension, even though I'm not Japanese. We had never looked into it or had anyone tell us before.

It sounds like I will be responsible to pay for two years of pension payments in a lump sum (around 450,000 yen).

Once I'm signed up with his work, my husband thinks I won't have to pay any more because I'm covered by his pension, but I'm really not sure yet.

That might be a part two.