Japan Cancer Insurance Calculator
Calculate your Japan cancer insurance (gan hoken) diagnosis lump sum and treatment benefit. Covers advanced therapies — proton, heavy-ion, immunotherapy — beyond public cover.
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Cancer Insurance Premium
Monthly Premium
¥4,370
Annual: ¥52,440
Diagnosis Lump Sum
¥2.00M
Lifetime Probability
50%
Daily Hospitalisation
¥10,000
Modern vs Legacy Wording
Modern (2016+) gan hoken wording: typically pays the full diagnosis lump sum on first diagnosis INCLUDING carcinoma-in-situ (jōhigan / 上皮内がん — early-stage), pays recurrence benefits every 1-2 years during continuing treatment, and explicitly covers advanced therapies (proton-beam / heavy-ion / immune-checkpoint therapy) not fully reimbursed by public insurance. Strongly preferred for new buyers.
Advanced-Therapy Rider
Advanced-therapy rider (sentan iryō / 先端医療 or sentan-i tokuyaku / 先進医療特約): covers proton-beam therapy (¥2.5-3M per course), heavy-ion therapy (¥3.1-3.5M), and certain immune-checkpoint / gene therapies — none of which are fully covered by Kenpo / Kokuho 70% reimbursement. Typical rider cap ¥20M per event. Premium is tiny (~¥100-200/month) for a large catastrophic-cost shield.
Why cancer insurance (gan hoken) matters in Japan
MHLW data shows roughly 1 in 2 Japanese adults will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. While Kenpo/Kokuho covers 70% of standard treatment and Kōgaku Ryōyōhi Seido caps monthly out-of-pocket, the real financial shock comes from lost income during months of treatment, private-room fees, and advanced therapies (proton beam, heavy-ion, immune-checkpoint inhibitors) that sit largely outside the public fee-schedule.
Diagnosis lump sum (dai-ichi jikin)
The core benefit of a modern gan hoken is the diagnosis lump sum — ¥1M, ¥2M, ¥3M or even ¥5M paid on first diagnosis of a covered cancer, with no requirement to spend it on medical care. The cash buys time: it covers the mortgage, private-room upgrades, travel to specialist centres, and partner time off work during initial treatment decisions.
Modern (2016+) vs legacy wording
Post-2016 Japanese gan hoken wordings typically cover carcinoma-in-situ (jōhigan / 上皮内がん), pay a diagnosis lump sum on every 1-2 years of continuing treatment (tsūin hoshō), and explicitly include advanced therapies like proton and heavy-ion. Pre-2016 policies often pay only on invasive cancer and pay the lump sum only once — read your policy document carefully if you bought before 2016.
Advanced-therapy coverage
Proton-beam therapy runs ~¥2.5-3M per course, heavy-ion therapy ~¥3.1-3.5M. Most of these costs are NOT covered by Kenpo. The advanced-therapy rider (sentan iryō tokuyaku) typically reimburses up to ¥20M per event for a premium of roughly ¥100-200/month. It is one of the single best-value insurance additions available in Japan today.
Common questions about Cancer Insurance
Why do so many Japanese hold separate cancer insurance?+
Japan has the world's highest cancer-incidence-per-capita (aging population + excellent detection). Lifetime cancer probability is roughly 1 in 2 (65% men, 51% women). Public insurance covers 70% of approved treatments, but: (a) advanced therapies — proton beam, heavy-ion, some immunotherapies — often aren't covered, (b) private-room fees during long treatment courses aren't covered, (c) lost income during 6-24 months of treatment is out-of-pocket. Gan hoken fills these gaps with cash diagnosis lump sums and ongoing treatment benefits.
Diagnosis lump sum — how much?+
¥1M-¥3M is typical. Pays on cancer confirmation (any malignant tumour including in-situ / "stage 0") without needing proof of specific treatment costs. Use to fund living expenses during treatment, patient choice of hospital, complementary treatments, travel to specialist centres. Some policies pay the lump sum multiple times (e.g., once per new cancer diagnosis at least 2 years apart), a material feature given 1-in-5 cancer patients experience recurrence.
Advanced treatment coverage (先進医療 within cancer policies)?+
Proton beam therapy: ~¥2.5-3M per course, not covered by public insurance for most cancer types. Heavy-ion radiotherapy (HIMAC): ~¥3M-¥3.5M. These are premier treatments only available at ~20 Japanese centres (Kashiwa NCC, Hokkaido, Yamagata, Hyogo). A "advanced treatment" rider at ¥100-200/mo covers up to ¥20M — an obvious inclusion on any serious gan hoken policy.
Continuing treatment benefit vs one-time diagnosis?+
Modern policies (2016+ especially) emphasise ongoing treatment benefits — e.g., ¥100,000/mo during active cancer treatment, uncapped in duration. This better matches the long-tail nature of modern cancer care (targeted therapy, maintenance chemo). Older policies paid a large one-time sum on diagnosis and left you exposed to multi-year ongoing costs. When comparing policies, weigh total expected benefit over 2-3 year treatment arcs, not just the headline lump sum.
Gan hoken premium benchmarks 2026?+
30-year-old non-smoker male, ¥1M diagnosis + ¥100k/mo treatment benefit + advanced treatment rider, lifetime: ~¥1,400/mo. Female same policy: ~¥1,800/mo (higher due to breast cancer incidence). At age 40 male: ~¥2,000/mo; age 50 male: ~¥3,100/mo. Lock in young — premium is level for life, and cancer history at application time makes later underwriting difficult.
In-situ carcinoma (上皮内新生物) — how is it covered?+
Older policies often paid only 10% or 20% of diagnosis lump sum for in-situ/"stage 0" cancers. Modern policies increasingly pay 100% — matching WHO's modern classification. This matters: cervical, thyroid, and some breast cancers are often detected at stage 0. Read the Bedingungen carefully; a policy that pays ¥1M for invasive but only ¥100k for in-situ is materially inferior despite similar headline numbers.
Top Japanese gan hoken providers?+
Aflac (the original Japanese gan hoken innovator, ~40% market share), Tokio Marine Nichido Anshin Life, Nippon Life, Dai-ichi Life, AIG Fuji Life, FWD Fuji Life. Online-only: Lifenet, Orix Life, Rakuten Life — commonly 20-30% cheaper. Comparison sites Kakaku.com and Hoken Viva publish annual product rankings with condition-list and benefit comparisons.