RetireJapan

Hi, I am a newcomer to this group.
I just found out about this iDeCo thing a few days ago and would like to join.
I am selfemployed and I am not required to join the National pension insurance, or? I mean, I was a National pension insurance payer till I started my own business. Never heard anything from them.

Can I still join the iDeCo plan? I payed into the National pension insurance for over 10 years.

Hi Yokohama55

Everyone who lives in Japan has to join the pension scheme, either through their employer (kosei nenkin), by themselves (kokumin nenkin), or through their spouse as a dependent.

If you are self-employed you are expected to register and pay into kokumin nenkin. Doing so is also a condition of having an iDeCo account.

Hope that helps.

Like I said, I am still enrolled in the National Pension, due to my earlier employment. But after I started my own company, 10 years ago, I never paid anything and never got any mail from them. My japanese wife on the other hand, get occasionally a reminder from them to pay her dues.
Only once (!) I got a mail from them, in which they asked, if I want to continue my insurance.

You have a legal obligation to join and pay kokumin nenkin. You can do so at the ward office. You may be asked to backpay missing payments. They can be flexible and let you do so in installments if you need that.