●Reduction/exemption of National Health Insurance premiums and securing living costs

1. Reduction and exemption of National Health Insurance premiums for disaster victims and the unemployed

In many towns and cities, the local governments are establishing systems to reduce or exempt disaster victims from paying National Health Insurance premiums (the actual amount of reduction varies according to the government). It may also be possible for you to have your premiums reduced if you lost your job through redundancy or your company going bankrupt, even if you were not directly affected by the earthquake disaster.

●Living expenses funds support system

●Using the support available

Relief money, condolence money and unemployment benefits are not loans, and there is no need to pay the money back. Before you apply for any of these, please check with staff at your local government office or evacuation centre to see if you are eligible.

If you apply for one of the loans on offer, you must pay back what you have borrowed. Depending on the loan in question, interest may accrue and the grace period before you start having to pay back the loan will be different.

It is also possible that by using one loan, you will become ineligible to apply for other loans. When you apply, please check with staff at your local government office.

●Payment of Support Grants for Reconstructing Livelihoods of Disaster Victims

Support grants for reconstructing livelihoods are paid for households whose housing units have been completely destroyed, or 'Zenkai,' (50% and more), half destroyed, or 'Hankai', (20% and more to less than 40%), and half destroyed on a large scale, or 'Daikibo Hankai,' (40% and more to less than 50%) by earthquakes.

① Basic support grants: the grant paid depending on the degree of destruction of a housing unit.

② Additional support grants: the grant paid depending on the methods of reconstruction of a housing unit (rebuilding, purchase of a new house, repair, and rent a house).

Amounts of the support grants (example):

*Additional support grants are not paid for those who reside in a public housing, private apartment, or temporary house (rental) for free.

Deadline for Application
①Basic support grants; apply within 〇months from the day of the disaster.
②Additional support grants; apply within 〇months from the day of the disaster.

1. Applicants
・ Those who the city certified his/her house has been 'completely destroyed (Zenkai) ,' 'half destroyed (Hankai),' or 'half destroyed on a large scale (Daikibo Hankai)'.
・Those who need to pay expensive cost to repair his/her damaged house.
・Those who demolished his/her house because there was a fear of collapse of the house arising from the damage to it or to the land on which it used to stand.

2. Necessary documents for application
・The necessary form varies by the degree of damage. Please make sure with XX.
*The application form is available at the reception counter.

3. Places for application
・General consultation reception counter
・XX Department of XX city hall
・XX Branch

4. Operation hours: XX:XX a.m. to XX:XX p.m.

5. For further information, contact below:
XXXX