A reader wrote in with a question about the lump-sum withdrawal payment that foreign residents who have paid into the pension system can claim after leaving Japan:
I was sent to Japan as an expatriate and worked for 2½ years at a Japanese company. Due to my home country's agreements with Japan, I was allowed to have the lump-sum withdrawal from the Japanese public pension. But during the period of employment in Japan, I was forced to sign a document with an agreement that stated that I would pay the received lump sum to my Japanese employer.
I was told verbally that they would terminate my contract if I did not sign the agreement. Consequently, I signed to be able to keep my job in Japan and continue my private life plans. When I returned to my home country, I paid the lump sum to my earlier employer since I was afraid of their threat of "disciplinary actions."