Help Japan: health insurance premiums raised 2.7x by decree, never voted on
署名活動の主旨
PLEASE HELP THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN.
We are being made to pay for our own healthcare at among the highest levels in the developed world — under a compulsory scheme we are not allowed to leave — and the sum was never once approved by our Parliament. People are dying because they cannot afford to see a doctor. Bank accounts are seized without a court warrant. We cannot stop this alone. Please lend us your name.
"This is not just a Japanese domestic tax issue. It is a severe human rights violation suppressing medical access for freelance workers, immigrants, and the vulnerable, defying the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. We need global solidarity."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What has happened
The statutory cap on Japan's National Health Insurance (NHI) premium has been raised from ¥420,000 (approx. US$2,600) to ¥1,130,000 (approx. US$7,100) in fiscal year 2026 — roughly 2.7 times — over the past three decades, without any debate or vote in the Diet (Japan's Parliament), by Cabinet decree (seirei) alone.
While average wages have remained flat, from this year a further levy — the "Child and Child-Rearing Support Contribution," which has nothing to do with medical care — has been added on top of the premium. The system has reached breaking point. Those who cannot pay have their bank accounts seized without any court warrant, and people are dying because they endured illness rather than see a doctor, out of fear of the cost.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I am doing this
I myself left my job because of illness and was unable to work for a period.
Even so, the bills came: ¥1,000,000 (approx. US$6,300) in National Health Insurance premiums, ¥600,000 (approx. US$3,800) in residence tax, and ¥200,000 (approx. US$1,300) in National Pension contributions.
No income, and yet the demands kept coming.
On top of that came monthly student loan repayments, rent, out-of-pocket medical costs, and food. Dragging a sick body along, forced into work I could not endure simply to stay alive, I watched my life collapse. I will never forget that terror.
I want to put this system before a court of law.
Insurance that is meant to protect life has become a weapon against it. We are suing the national government and municipalities, arguing that this unreasonable burden — imposed without passing through the Diet — is unconstitutional.
Please support this lawsuit with your signature.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why this concerns you, wherever you live
If the Cabinet can increase the public's burden without limit by decree alone, without a vote in Parliament — once that precedent is allowed, it will not stop at health insurance. Every kind of burden (other levies, fees, taxation in all but name) will be decided somewhere your voice cannot reach, without you ever knowing.
This is a story about health insurance, and at the same time it is a story about who decides what you must pay. That is why we are asking the world to stand with us.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What the problem is
NHI premiums are subject to a statutory cap per household. A burden of this magnitude on the public ought, by rights, to be set by law in the one place we can hold to account at the ballot box: the Diet (the principles of fiscal democracy and of no taxation without law). In practice, however, it has been raised again and again by Cabinet decree alone, without any vote in the Diet. Burdens increase without passing through the people's representatives — this goes to the foundations of democracy.
Furthermore, the "Child and Child-Rearing Support Contribution" newly established in fiscal 2026 funds purposes unrelated to medical care, such as the expansion of child allowances. Even the pretence that "a premium is provision for our own medical care" has collapsed. It is a tax in all but name.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we are asking the court for
With respect to the portion of the premium added without passing through the Diet, we seek three things: (1) a declaration that no obligation to pay exists (an action for a declaratory judgment of non-existence of the payment obligation); (2) damages from the national government (a State Redress claim); and (3) the return of amounts overpaid, including sums taken through seizure (a claim for restitution of unjust enrichment). Note: the concrete course of action will be decided in consultation with counsel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why we argue this is unconstitutional
1. A burden increase that bypasses Parliament. A levy this heavy must be set by law, in the one place voters can hold to account. Instead it was raised by Cabinet decree alone — a blank cheque handed to the executive. (Articles 83 and 84)
2. The burden dumped on the working generation. Contributions are concentrated on working-age members with income, while benefits flow elsewhere — "mutual aid" in name, one-way extraction in fact.(Articles 14 and 25)
3. The time-lag trap. Premiums are charged mechanically on last year's income, so those who lose their income this year keep receiving excessive bills. Unlike salaried employees who lose their jobs, the self-employed and freelancers are not even eligible for relief.(Article 14)
4. A tax wearing the name of insurance. A contribution unrelated to medical care has been built into the premium. It has ceased to be an insurance premium at all.
5. The State dismantled the last line of defence. Municipalities used to hold premiums down with transfers from their general budgets. The national government used fiscal pressure to slash these from roughly ¥346.8 billion to ¥122 billion, actively destroying the mechanism that protected residents.
6. Premiums so high they take lives. People are dying after giving up medical care out of fear of the cost, while bank accounts are seized without a court warrant. (Articles 25 and 29)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A human rights violation, measured against UN standards
Japan's public medical insurance fences company employees — who have relatively higher incomes and lower health risks — into a separate scheme, while segregating the elderly, non-regular workers, and a large number of foreign residents and gig workers into National Health Insurance, the pool with the worst terms of all.
It then imposes, simultaneously, premiums at among the highest levels in the world (the ¥1,130,000 cap amounts to about 24% of Japan's average annual income of ¥4.78 million, approx. US$30,000 — one of the heaviest premium burdens in the world, imposed by a scheme its members are not allowed to leave) and a 30% co-payment at the point of care, and it effectively cuts off medical access for those in arrears. This is a human rights violation squarely contrary to the prohibition on retrogressive measures — the one-sided lowering of the level of social security — under the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Articles 9 and 12), which the Japanese government has ratified.
To everyone in Japan, to Japanese nationals living abroad, and to the foreign residents who share this country with us: in the name of transparency, fairness, and the universal right of access to healthcare and to human rights, we ask for your support and for your shares from around the world, so that this internationally aberrant system may be corrected.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we ask of you
Ask yourself this: if this system — a compulsory premium capped at ¥1,130,000 — were introduced as a bill in Japan's Parliament today, would it pass? Of course not. Any politician who voted for it would lose their seat at the next election.
That is precisely why it was never put to a vote.
One voice is small, but when many voices gather, society moves. And if you are able, please spread word of this problem on social media.
We welcome supporters in Japan and abroad alike. Japan's social security is a public policy that affects a great many foreign residents. If you can support us on grounds of transparency, fairness, and human rights, please add your signature.
If you live in Japan and have experienced this burden yourself, please
also tell us your story (anonymous, in English):
■ Survey on the NHI system and the harm it causes : here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For lawyers and legal professionals
We are recruiting lawyers and researchers to join the legal team. This is a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a burden increase imposed by decree without a vote in the Diet, brought on three fronts: a declaratory action on the non-existence of the payment obligation, a State Redress claim, and a claim for restitution of unjust enrichment. We welcome contact at the "I would first like to hear more" stage. → [Contact: medical@ishapedia.jp]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For members of the press
We welcome interviews and enquiries concerning this lawsuit. We can accommodate requests regarding the filing schedule, interviews with plaintiffs and the legal team, the reality of the harm (foregone care, asset seizures, and so on), and the provision of litigation materials. Please contact us below.[Press enquiries: medical@ishapedia.jp]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
■Explainer Deck: English| Français| Deutsch| ภาษาไทย | Tagalog| Español | Tiếng Việt
■Outline of the Complaint
Note: This is a long document — reading the "Overall Statement of Claim" at the beginning is sufficient.
■JAPANESE PAGE
■Explanatory Video↓
【Reference.1】
【Reference.2】
【Reference.3】
【Reference.4】
【Reference.5】
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Organisation name (provisional): Team Give It Back
Contact: medical@ishapedia.jp
※Click here for the petition page regarding the resident tax system
7
署名活動の主旨
PLEASE HELP THE PEOPLE OF JAPAN.
We are being made to pay for our own healthcare at among the highest levels in the developed world — under a compulsory scheme we are not allowed to leave — and the sum was never once approved by our Parliament. People are dying because they cannot afford to see a doctor. Bank accounts are seized without a court warrant. We cannot stop this alone. Please lend us your name.
"This is not just a Japanese domestic tax issue. It is a severe human rights violation suppressing medical access for freelance workers, immigrants, and the vulnerable, defying the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. We need global solidarity."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What has happened
The statutory cap on Japan's National Health Insurance (NHI) premium has been raised from ¥420,000 (approx. US$2,600) to ¥1,130,000 (approx. US$7,100) in fiscal year 2026 — roughly 2.7 times — over the past three decades, without any debate or vote in the Diet (Japan's Parliament), by Cabinet decree (seirei) alone.
While average wages have remained flat, from this year a further levy — the "Child and Child-Rearing Support Contribution," which has nothing to do with medical care — has been added on top of the premium. The system has reached breaking point. Those who cannot pay have their bank accounts seized without any court warrant, and people are dying because they endured illness rather than see a doctor, out of fear of the cost.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I am doing this
I myself left my job because of illness and was unable to work for a period.
Even so, the bills came: ¥1,000,000 (approx. US$6,300) in National Health Insurance premiums, ¥600,000 (approx. US$3,800) in residence tax, and ¥200,000 (approx. US$1,300) in National Pension contributions.
No income, and yet the demands kept coming.
On top of that came monthly student loan repayments, rent, out-of-pocket medical costs, and food. Dragging a sick body along, forced into work I could not endure simply to stay alive, I watched my life collapse. I will never forget that terror.
I want to put this system before a court of law.
Insurance that is meant to protect life has become a weapon against it. We are suing the national government and municipalities, arguing that this unreasonable burden — imposed without passing through the Diet — is unconstitutional.
Please support this lawsuit with your signature.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why this concerns you, wherever you live
If the Cabinet can increase the public's burden without limit by decree alone, without a vote in Parliament — once that precedent is allowed, it will not stop at health insurance. Every kind of burden (other levies, fees, taxation in all but name) will be decided somewhere your voice cannot reach, without you ever knowing.
This is a story about health insurance, and at the same time it is a story about who decides what you must pay. That is why we are asking the world to stand with us.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What the problem is
NHI premiums are subject to a statutory cap per household. A burden of this magnitude on the public ought, by rights, to be set by law in the one place we can hold to account at the ballot box: the Diet (the principles of fiscal democracy and of no taxation without law). In practice, however, it has been raised again and again by Cabinet decree alone, without any vote in the Diet. Burdens increase without passing through the people's representatives — this goes to the foundations of democracy.
Furthermore, the "Child and Child-Rearing Support Contribution" newly established in fiscal 2026 funds purposes unrelated to medical care, such as the expansion of child allowances. Even the pretence that "a premium is provision for our own medical care" has collapsed. It is a tax in all but name.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we are asking the court for
With respect to the portion of the premium added without passing through the Diet, we seek three things: (1) a declaration that no obligation to pay exists (an action for a declaratory judgment of non-existence of the payment obligation); (2) damages from the national government (a State Redress claim); and (3) the return of amounts overpaid, including sums taken through seizure (a claim for restitution of unjust enrichment). Note: the concrete course of action will be decided in consultation with counsel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why we argue this is unconstitutional
1. A burden increase that bypasses Parliament. A levy this heavy must be set by law, in the one place voters can hold to account. Instead it was raised by Cabinet decree alone — a blank cheque handed to the executive. (Articles 83 and 84)
2. The burden dumped on the working generation. Contributions are concentrated on working-age members with income, while benefits flow elsewhere — "mutual aid" in name, one-way extraction in fact.(Articles 14 and 25)
3. The time-lag trap. Premiums are charged mechanically on last year's income, so those who lose their income this year keep receiving excessive bills. Unlike salaried employees who lose their jobs, the self-employed and freelancers are not even eligible for relief.(Article 14)
4. A tax wearing the name of insurance. A contribution unrelated to medical care has been built into the premium. It has ceased to be an insurance premium at all.
5. The State dismantled the last line of defence. Municipalities used to hold premiums down with transfers from their general budgets. The national government used fiscal pressure to slash these from roughly ¥346.8 billion to ¥122 billion, actively destroying the mechanism that protected residents.
6. Premiums so high they take lives. People are dying after giving up medical care out of fear of the cost, while bank accounts are seized without a court warrant. (Articles 25 and 29)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A human rights violation, measured against UN standards
Japan's public medical insurance fences company employees — who have relatively higher incomes and lower health risks — into a separate scheme, while segregating the elderly, non-regular workers, and a large number of foreign residents and gig workers into National Health Insurance, the pool with the worst terms of all.
It then imposes, simultaneously, premiums at among the highest levels in the world (the ¥1,130,000 cap amounts to about 24% of Japan's average annual income of ¥4.78 million, approx. US$30,000 — one of the heaviest premium burdens in the world, imposed by a scheme its members are not allowed to leave) and a 30% co-payment at the point of care, and it effectively cuts off medical access for those in arrears. This is a human rights violation squarely contrary to the prohibition on retrogressive measures — the one-sided lowering of the level of social security — under the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Articles 9 and 12), which the Japanese government has ratified.
To everyone in Japan, to Japanese nationals living abroad, and to the foreign residents who share this country with us: in the name of transparency, fairness, and the universal right of access to healthcare and to human rights, we ask for your support and for your shares from around the world, so that this internationally aberrant system may be corrected.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What we ask of you
Ask yourself this: if this system — a compulsory premium capped at ¥1,130,000 — were introduced as a bill in Japan's Parliament today, would it pass? Of course not. Any politician who voted for it would lose their seat at the next election.
That is precisely why it was never put to a vote.
One voice is small, but when many voices gather, society moves. And if you are able, please spread word of this problem on social media.
We welcome supporters in Japan and abroad alike. Japan's social security is a public policy that affects a great many foreign residents. If you can support us on grounds of transparency, fairness, and human rights, please add your signature.
If you live in Japan and have experienced this burden yourself, please
also tell us your story (anonymous, in English):
■ Survey on the NHI system and the harm it causes : here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For lawyers and legal professionals
We are recruiting lawyers and researchers to join the legal team. This is a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a burden increase imposed by decree without a vote in the Diet, brought on three fronts: a declaratory action on the non-existence of the payment obligation, a State Redress claim, and a claim for restitution of unjust enrichment. We welcome contact at the "I would first like to hear more" stage. → [Contact: medical@ishapedia.jp]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For members of the press
We welcome interviews and enquiries concerning this lawsuit. We can accommodate requests regarding the filing schedule, interviews with plaintiffs and the legal team, the reality of the harm (foregone care, asset seizures, and so on), and the provision of litigation materials. Please contact us below.[Press enquiries: medical@ishapedia.jp]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
■Explainer Deck: English| Français| Deutsch| ภาษาไทย | Tagalog| Español | Tiếng Việt
■Outline of the Complaint
Note: This is a long document — reading the "Overall Statement of Claim" at the beginning is sufficient.
■JAPANESE PAGE
■Explanatory Video↓
【Reference.1】
【Reference.2】
【Reference.3】
【Reference.4】
【Reference.5】
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
Organisation name (provisional): Team Give It Back
Contact: medical@ishapedia.jp
※Click here for the petition page regarding the resident tax system
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