If your pension booklet is missing, start by confirming your Basic Pension Number and the document you will use for your application. Losing the booklet does not itself decide whether you qualify for a pension withdrawal payment. This guide helps you find the right record without relying on an unrelated number or an assumed replacement document.
Sources checked September 13, 2026. Confirm your application requirements with the Japan Pension Service before sending documents.
Look for the number on a pension record
The Basic Pension Number, or Kiso Nenkin Bango, is a ten-digit pension identifier. New pension booklets stopped being issued in April 2022; the Basic Pension Number Notice is now issued instead. Existing booklets should still be retained. See the Japan Pension Service explanation of pension numbers and notices.
Useful documents include the Basic Pension Number Notice, a blue pension booklet, National Pension payment slips or receipts, and certain pension benefit notices. The official number-confirmation guide lists the available methods. Do not assume an older booklet number, payroll employee ID or number on a tax slip is your Basic Pension Number.
The annual pension statement has a different number
Current Nenkin Teiki-bin statements do not show the Basic Pension Number. They carry an inquiry number used when discussing the statement with the pension service. Do not copy that inquiry number into the pension-number field on your withdrawal form. This distinction is confirmed in the official annual-statement FAQ.
Keep the statement if you have it: it can still help with an inquiry. Finding a reference number and obtaining an acceptable application attachment are different tasks.
Check online if you already have access
The official confirmation guide gives two online routes:
- Log in to Nenkin Net and check the number on its top page.
- If you can use your My Number Card to log in to Mynaportal, select the pension section and retrieve your pension information. Retrieval has specified operating hours; check the current guide.
If neither route works, ask the pension service how to obtain a document. It does not disclose the number by telephone or email. The guide describes requesting a document by post using the inquiry route. Your employer may be able to help locate employment records, but do not assume that HR has the number or can send it immediately.
Request a replacement notice
Use the Basic Pension Number Notice reissue procedure. The submission route depends on your current or last pension enrollment. Check the relevant category and the identity documents required, including the requirements when applying with My Number.
Replacement notices are normally posted to the address held by the pension service. Counter issuance is possible when the applicant attends a pension office with the required identification. This is not a guarantee that every visit will produce a notice immediately. Confirm the arrangements before planning around your departure date.
If you already live abroad, ask the pension office how you should apply and receive the notice. The reissue guidance describes sending notices to an employer for overseas residents and certain other cases; confirm the route if you no longer have an employer in Japan. Do not assume direct overseas delivery is available.
Check the withdrawal attachment separately
The official English withdrawal application links to the current form and instructions. Its attachment list calls for a document establishing the Basic Pension Number, such as the notice or pension booklet. Do not assume that a tax withholding slip or annual pension statement is an accepted substitute. Ask the pension service about your actual document before mailing the claim.
Also confirm your deadline. The detailed eligibility rules use a two-year period tied to loss of pension coverage, or to subsequently ceasing to have a Japanese address when an address remained at that time. It is not simply two years from the expiry of your visa.
Before submitting, check the name and number against your records, retain a copy of your application, and confirm all other eligibility and attachment requirements using our withdrawal preparation guide. Our departure checklist can help you keep the wider process organized. Do not send pension numbers or identity documents to this site’s contact form.