What to do if a foreign worker becomes sick or injured due to work? Check the insurance system

What should be done if a foreign worker becomes ill or injured as a result of work?

If a foreign worker becomes ill or injured, the treatment is the same as for Japanese workers.
We will take the following measures.

worker accident insurance Submit a 'Medical Care Benefit Claim Form' to the designated medical institution for medical consultation

If you suffer illness or injury related to work, you must submit a 'Medical Care Benefit Claim Form' to the designated worker accident insurance medical institution for medical consultation.
To prepare for sudden illness or injury, it's reassuring to research designated worker accident insurance medical institutions near your company or site in advance.

Bring Japanese staff to the hospital as much as possible and strive to provide appropriate information about accidents, injuries, or symptoms of illness.
If only foreign workers are sent to the hospital, miscommunication of information may occur, or they may not be able to find the appropriate department, resulting in insufficient treatment.

Also, illness or injury in a foreign land causes great anxiety.
To ensure your mental well-being, having Japanese staff accompany you is important.
It is even more reassuring to have someone like a medical interpreter who can support foreigners during their visits.

JAC's medical interpretation support is convenient for foreigners seeking medical treatment!

At JAC, we offer multilingual "Medical Interpretation Support" for Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the construction sector.
From finding hospitals and making appointments to interpretation during consultations, professional medical interpretation staff provide 24-hour support with free call and interpretation fees.

For information on 'Medical Interpreter Support,' please also see the following page.
Medical Interpreter Support to Alleviate Foreigners' Worries in Multiple Languages

Medical expense payment and required documents

worker accident insurance When receiving treatment at designated medical institutions, workers do not bear medical expenses.

If you inform the reception desk that it is a work-related injury and submit the following documents, you will be able to receive free medical treatment until your injury or illness is cured.

• In the case of work-related injury: Claim form for medical treatment benefits (Form No. 5)
• In the case of a work-related accident: Claim form for medical treatment benefits (Form No. 16-3)

You can download the documents from the following page.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 'Main Forms Download Corner'

If you download it in advance and keep it at your office or prepare it on-site, you can respond calmly in case of emergencies.
Also, many worker accident insurance designated medical institutions have these available.

If you accidentally use health insurance, you need to complete the procedure and have it switch to worker accident insurance.

Also, if you are receiving treatment at a medical institution other than the worker accident insurance designated institution, you must pay the full amount at the counter, so you must bring the treatment costs in person.
Later, if you apply to the Labor Standards Inspection Office and your work accident is recognized, the full amount of your medical expenses will be refunded by the government.

Submit a "Worker Casualty Report" after a work-related accident occurs

After a work-related accident occurs, a "Worker Injury or Illness Report" is submitted to the Labor Standards Inspection Office.
This is the same procedure as when a Japanese citizen receives workers' compensation.

The deadline for submitting the report varies depending on the number of days the worker is absent from work due to the industrial accident, as follows:

• In case of death due to a work-related accident: Submit immediately after the accident.
• For absences due to work-related injury resulting in 4 days or more: Submit immediately after the accident.
• For absences due to work-related injury of less than 4 days: Submit in batches every 3 months*.
  * January to March / April to June / July to September / October to December

The application should be submitted to the Labor Standards Inspection Office that has jurisdiction over the site of the industrial accident.
Please be aware that this is not the labor standards inspection office that has jurisdiction over the area where your company is located.

Electronic filing of worker injury and illness reports is now mandatory.

Effective January 1, 2025, the reporting requirements for worker injury and illness reports have been revised, and electronic submission is now mandatory in principle.

For electronic applications, using the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's portal site is the smoothest option.
Input support service for printing forms related to notifications and applications under the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

The electronic application process is as follows:

1. Obtain an e-Gov account or G-BizID
2. Access and log in to the input support service.
3. Select "Worker Injury and Illness Report" from the form creation menu.
4. Enter disaster information
5. Review the content and submit your application.

Once you have obtained an e-Gov account or G-Biz ID, select "Worker Injury and Illness Report" from the "Form Creation Menu" of the input support service, and follow the on-screen instructions to enter information about the disaster and the victims.

The entered data can be saved and reused on the company's own computers, making it convenient even in construction sites where information is often modified or added later.

Once you have finished entering the information, please review the details and press the submit button to complete the process. The application data will be linked to e-Gov, and you can check the application details from e-Gov.

For detailed information on how to apply, please refer to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Information on Electronic Application Method for Reporting Worker Injuries and Illnesses Using Form Input Support Services."
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: "Regarding the Electronic Application Method for Reporting Worker Injuries and Illnesses Using Form Input Support Services"

Apply for worker accident insurance benefits

To use worker accident insurance, you need to apply for benefits.
This procedure is also the same as for Japanese workers' compensation.

In principle, the benefit application is made by the affected worker (or, if deceased, the bereaved family), but in most cases, the company handles the application on their behalf.

Especially for foreign workers, the documents may be complicated and unclear, or they may not even know if an application is necessary.
Make sure Japanese staff provide thorough support from document preparation to application procedures.

Also utilize JAC's Specified Skilled Worker (i) compensation system in the construction sector

Additionally, JAC has introduced a "Compensation System for Specified Skilled Worker (i) in the Construction Sector" since January 1, 2024.
This system provides additional compensation for occupational accidents covered by worker accident insurance, and only Specified Skilled Worker (i) is covered.

Since the company is operated with the acceptance contribution fee as its source of funding, there is no new financial burden on the receiving company.

Specified Skilled Worker is expected to enhance benefits and promote retention of talent at host companies, so please make use of it.
Specified Skilled Worker (i) Compensation System

Does worker accident insurance apply to foreign workers who are sick or injured?

worker accident insurance refers to insurance benefits that provide necessary insurance benefits in case of injury or illness caused by work-related accidents or commuting accidents.

Membership in worker accident insurance is required regardless of nationality, and even if there is only one worker employed, membership is mandatory.

For example, Article 2 of the Specified Skills Standards Ministerial Ordinance stipulates that workers' accident compensation insurance for Specified Skilled Worker (hereinafter referred to as worker accident insurance). To ensure the application of ), if the Specified Skills 's affiliated institution (the accepting company) is a business place subject to worker accident insurance, it is required to properly submit the notification of the establishment of the worker accident insurance 's insurance relationship.

According to the Labor Standards Act (Chapter 8, Articles 75~88), "For accidents suffered by workers due to work-related reasons, employers must compensate them."
As a result, the worker accident insurance fee is fully borne by the company.

worker accident insurance Insurance system for non-workers

Besides worker accident insurance, there are other insurance schemes for workers.
In both cases, foreign workers must also join.

Health Insurance System

Health insurance provides medical benefits and allowances when insured persons or dependents receive medical care due to illness or injury.
Enrollment is required when you are employed regularly, and this applies to foreign workers as well.

Health insurance is available for full-time employment at private companies or part-time jobs that meet certain conditions.
For information about health insurance, please refer to the National Pension Service page below.
National Pension Service 'Health Insurance and Employees' Pension Insurance Procedures Guide'

If you are working part-time or similar jobs that do not meet the conditions to become a health insurance insured person, you will be enrolled in National Health Insurance.

If you need to go to the hospital due to illness or injury outside working hours, bring a My Number Card as your Health Insurance Certificate or a certificate of eligibility.
As with Japanese patients, the out-of-pocket payment for treatment costs is 30%.

Employees' Pension Insurance/National Pension Insurance

By joining the pension insurance scheme, workers will receive pensions and allowances when they reach old age or die due to disability.

• Employees' Pension Insurance: While regularly employed at an applicable business establishment
• National Pension Insurance: For those who are not in a regular employment relationship but reside in Japan as medium- to long-term residents.

Foreign workers often endure minor illnesses or injuries because they believe going to the hospital is expensive.
Let's also make sure to explain that there is an insurance system in place.

Find out about the occurrence of workplace accidents involving foreign workers

Let's also check how many occupational accidents occur among foreign workers.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of casualties in the construction industry in 2024 was 1,165 (compared to 997 in 2023), of which 13 were fatalities (compared to 15 in 2023).

Compared to the manufacturing industry, where occupational accidents occur the most, there were 2,979 casualties and 11 deaths, while the construction industry has a higher number of deaths.

In the construction industry, accidents occurred in 199 cases of "being caught or caught in the water," 222 of "falling or falling," and 156 of "flying or falling."
*Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare "2024 Regarding the Occurrence of Occupational Accidents"

To prevent foreign workers from getting sick or injured at work

While it is essential to take appropriate measures when foreign workers become ill or injured, it is also crucial to take steps to prevent illness and injury from occurring in the first place.
The main countermeasures are as follows:

Safety and Health Education in your native language

First, we conduct Safety and Health Education in the foreign workers' native languages to deepen their understanding of safety.

Since conducting instruction while performing work may result in insufficient safety checks, be sure to allocate separate time for training such as Safety and Health Education.

JAC has released videos about safety and health measures for foreign workers.
Please make use of this for Safety and Health Education for foreign workers.
[YouTube] Key points for safety and health measures for each task

Installation of safety signs in multiple languages

One measure that can be taken on-site is to install signs in multiple languages.
While typical workplaces only use Japanese signage, it is desirable to install signs in multiple languages at workplaces where foreign workers frequent.

Since it will be viewed while working, the content needs to be easily understood at a glance.

If foreign workers get injured or sick, it's a good idea to teach them how to express pain so that appropriate action can be taken.
Expressions like "throbbing" and "prickling" are unique to the Japanese language, but they are useful for accurately conveying symptoms.

For more information on how to describe your pain and tips on how to communicate your pain, please see the article below.
Learn how to express pain in Japanese! Also, learn how to effectively communicate your pain.
How do you go to a hospital in Japan? We'll also introduce some commonly used phrases at hospitals!

Summary: Foreign workers should be able to receive appropriate medical treatment for illnesses and injuries covered by insurance

If a foreign worker is injured or falls ill during work or commuting, the worker accident insurance applies according to the same procedures as for Japanese workers.

It is important to support appropriate care, such as having Japanese staff accompany you as much as possible and using medical interpretation support.

In the unlikely event of an accident, report worker casualties and illnesses electronically and respond appropriately.

In addition to workers' compensation, insurance such as health insurance, employees' pension insurance, and national pension insurance, which provide medical treatment and benefits in case of illness or injury, must also be enrolled in by foreign workers.
In addition to public coverage, you can also use Specified Skilled Worker (i)-targeted compensation programs to provide more generous coverage.

Although Japan has a robust insurance system, there are many fatal and injury-related accidents involving foreign workers, so there is a need to establish systems that prevent accidents.
Actively raising safety awareness, such as Safety and Health Education training and installing multilingual safety signs, is the first step toward reducing accidents.

If you are a company in the construction industry considering accepting Specified Skilled Worker, please feel free to consult with JAC!
*This article is based on information as of May 2026.