Long-term care insurance is a social insurance system to provide long-term care services to persons experiencing difficulties in their daily lives due to physical impairments resulting from advanced age.

How the long-term care insurance system is structured

Administration of the long-term care insurance system

Municipal authorities act as administrators of the long-term care insurance system. Municipalities covered include cities, towns and villages plus the 23 special metropolitan wards of Tokyo. These authorities administer the insurance system according to the circumstances in their respective areas. Medical care insurance and pension providers such as the state, prefectures, and Health Insurance Societies support the long-term care insurance system in a variety of ways.

Insured persons

The long-term care insurance system covers everyone aged 40 or over. Age-related ailments begin to occur at this age, a problem that coincides with the increasing need to look after parents. As long-term care begins to be a fact of life after the age of 40, this age is set as the starting age for beneficiaries under the system.
The long-term care insurance system divides insured persons into two groups: (1) persons aged 65 years or over and (2) persons aged between 40 and 64 who are covered by medical care insurance. The former group is referred to as "category 1 insured persons." The latter group is known as "category 2 insured persons." The system also covers people classified under the health insurance system as dependents.
There are persons outside of the long-term care insurance system. Check here for details >> "When you no longer qualify for long-term care insurance"