🏦 Philippine Pension: Japan Payout Change

❓ What has changed

On October 16, 2026, the Japan Pension Service announced a change in how Philippine pension benefits are received inside Japan. By opening an account at the Tokyo branch or the Nagoya office of the Philippine National Bank (PNB), a Philippine pension can now be received in Japan. Following this, the Japan Pension Service coordinated with SSS, the Philippine pension implementing agency, and partially revised the Philippine pension claim form (JP/PH1). The new form is available from the "Japan-Philippines Social Security Agreement: list of applications (pension claim procedures)" page on the Japan Pension Service website. The background is a narrowing of payout channels inside Japan: receiving the pension in Japan via a CTBC card was previously possible, but people who newly apply for a Philippine pension can no longer be paid that way. The form revision reflects that treatment. As a result, anyone claiming a Philippine pension while living in Japan has to rethink how to prepare the receiving account. For the detailed procedure, you need to check with SSS.

👥 Who is affected

• ●Filipinos living in Japan who are newly applying for a Philippine pension
• ●People preparing a pension claim (form JP/PH1) under the Japan-Philippines Social Security Agreement
• ●People who had assumed they would be paid via a CTBC card in Japan
• ●People with Philippine employment periods who are claiming that pension while living in Japan
• ●Family members and support groups helping someone file a Philippine pension claim

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

For Filipinos in Japan, which account the pension lands in affects everyday planning. The change presents a clear option for people claiming a Philippine pension while living in Japan: an account at PNB's Tokyo branch or Nagoya office. It is easy to miss that there are only those two locations, so if you live far away, ask the bank in advance whether you must visit in person or can open an account by mail or online. Also, because people who newly apply cannot be paid via a CTBC card, following the older method you heard from family or friends can leave your form filled out incorrectly and send you back to the start. Information on a home-country pension system is often thin in Japanese, but it becomes manageable once you know the two contact points: the form on the Japan Pension Service website, and the procedure details from SSS.