Moving to Japan

The Children and Families Agency current table gives JPY 15,000 per month for a child under 3 for the first or second child and JPY 30,000 from the third child; from age 3 through high-school age it gives JPY 10,000 for the first or second child and JPY 30,000 from the third child.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare states that a person with an address in Japan is eligible under the Child Allowance Act and that foreign nationals can also receive the allowance; municipal administration uses the Basic Resident Registration. This is the bounded profile of a foreign national with an address in Japan and Basic Resident Registration, subject to the child and claimant conditions.

Maximum basic-allowance daily amount for recipients aged 30–44.

雇用保険の被保険者が失業し、原則として離職前2年間に被保険者期間12か月以上(倒産・解雇等は離職前1年間に6か月以上)などの受給要件を満たす場合。外国人被保険者についても厚生労働省資料は日本人と同様に基本手当が支払われると説明する。

The current RHQ guide dated 2026-01-13 states JPY 2,400 per day for adults aged 12 and over and JPY 1,200 per day for children under 12; accommodation support varies by rent and number of residents and is subject to an upper limit. The current ISA report records JPY 40,000 monthly for a single person, JPY 50,000 for a second person, JPY 55,000 for a third and JPY 60,000 for a fourth or later person, subject to the stated housing limit; medical expenses are basically supported where covered by public health insurance and assistance is in principle for four months.

The current Refugee Assistance Headquarters (RHQ) page states that allowances for living costs, housing expenses and medical costs are provided to those who have a pending application for refugee status and who are deemed to be facing economic hardship. The current RHQ guide limits eligible persons to applicants for Recognition of Refugee Status, including persons who filed on appeal, who are in need of protection in Japan and meet the guide's exclusion conditions. it does not generalise the measure to every foreign resident or every protection applicant.

The current MHLW public-assistance page states that when household income is below the minimum living expenses calculated under the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare's standards, the difference is paid as protection. The payable amount varies by region, household composition and the applicable standard; no unsupported single nationwide JPY amount is asserted.

The current Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare public-assistance page states that the household must use available assets, abilities and other resources and that assistance applies when household income is below the minimum-living-cost standard. The exact MHLW notice wording is ‘外国人に対する保護は’ and states that protection for foreigners is extended, by applying the Public Assistance Act mutatis mutandis as a budgetary measure, to 永住者、定住者等 (permanent residents, long-term residents and the source's other listed category). it does not generalise the measure to every foreign resident, and the source's household, income, asset and administrative conditions remain mandatory.

The current MHLW Public Assistance page states that housing assistance (住宅扶助) covers apartment rent and that actual rent is paid within the prescribed limits (定められた範囲内で実費を支給). The payable amount therefore varies by household, locality and the current standards; no unsupported single nationwide JPY amount is asserted.

The current Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare material states: ‘外国人に対する保護は’ extended under the public-assistance administrative measure to ‘永住者、定住者等’; the listed Immigration Control Act Table 2 statuses include permanent resident, long-term resident and the listed spouse statuses, while special permanent residents and recognized refugees are also listed and some unrestricted designated-activities cases may qualify. , which is the bounded status profile already evidenced by the source; it does not generalise housing assistance to every foreign resident or every lawful resident.