Japan Life Insurance Calculator

Death benefit paid from a policy where the deceased was both the insured AND the premium payer is inheritance-taxed (相続税) with a ¥5,000,000 × number of statutory heirs exemption. A family of spouse + 2 children (3 heirs) enjoys ¥15,000,000 tax-free, with the balance added to the taxable estate at 10-55%. Structure matters: if the beneficiary (not the deceased) paid premiums, the payout is income-taxed instead, which can be more efficient in some cases.

Teikihoken (定期保険): pure term life, expires at end of term, cheapest per ¥ of cover — best for income replacement during child-rearing years. Shūshinhoken (終身保険): lifelong cover with cash value buildup — used for inheritance-tax liquidity and guaranteed legacy. Yōrōhoken (養老保険): savings+insurance hybrid — generally poor value versus pure term + separate investing. For most families, teikihoken handles the risk, NISA + iDeCo handle the savings.

Compute seikatsu-hoshō needs: spouse income replacement (if not working) + education costs (¥5M-¥15M per child for public-to-private school paths) + mortgage balance + funeral (~¥2M) + final expenses. Subtract: survivor pension (izoku nenkin) from kōsei nenkin, spouse's earning capacity, existing death benefits. A typical 38-year-old Tokyo salaryman with 2 children and ¥40M mortgage needs ¥30-50M of cover.

Seimei hoken-ryō kōjo (生命保険料控除): up to ¥40,000/yr income tax + ¥28,000/yr residence tax deduction across 3 buckets — general life, medical (kaigo iryō), and individual annuity (kojin nenkin). Maximum total ¥120,000/yr income tax. Structure separate policies across buckets to maximise deduction — often the difference between a ¥50,000 and ¥120,000 annual tax saving.

Healthy non-smoker male, ¥30M 20-year teikihoken: age 30 ~¥2,100/mo, age 40 ~¥4,800/mo, age 50 ~¥12,500/mo. Whole-life (shūshinhoken) same sum: ~5-8× term pricing. Female ~15-20% cheaper. Smokers +50-80%. Online-only insurers (Lifenet, Rakuten Life, Orix) undercut traditional agents (Nippon Life, Dai-ichi, Meiji Yasuda) by 15-30%.

Dantai seimei hoken (group life through employer) is typically priced cheaper than individual retail due to group underwriting, with simple health questions rather than a medical exam. Downsides: cover ends when you leave the job (not portable) and the sum insured is usually capped (often ¥10-30M). Use as a foundation layer, then top up with individual term for coverage you control.

Yes — standard Japanese life insurance policies pay out for all causes of death after a 1- or 2-year suicide exclusion period. Natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunami), pandemics, and most overseas deaths are covered. War and terrorism exclusions may apply. Accidental death riders (saigai hoshō) pay a multiplier on the base sum insured for accident deaths — commonly 2× to 5×.