Fake emails and text messages (SMS) claiming to come from the Japan Pension Service (Nihon Nenkin Kikō, the agency that runs Japan's public pensions) are on the rise. Enquiries about suspicious emails received by the pension hotline and other contact points reached 678 in fiscal 2025, about 12 times the 55 of the previous year[Japan Pension Service, 17 Apr 2026]. On 19 October the agency updated its warning page and now shows seven sample messages[Japan Pension Service: Beware of suspicious emails and SMS].
November is when the genuine "social insurance premium (national pension premium) deduction certificate" and the "intention confirmation form" for registering a public-benefit bank account arrive. Fake emails borrow the same document names. The agency does not ask for bank account numbers by email, does not ask for images of your My Number Card, and does not ask you to pay by email.
How to tell: if it asks for any of these five things, it is fake
| What the fake email or SMS asks for | The real Japan Pension Service |
|---|---|
| Replying with your name and bank account number (e.g. "we will transfer the rest of your pension") | Does not ask for account numbers by email |
| Uploading images of your My Number Card (Japan's ID card) | Does not ask for card images by phone or email |
| Paying unpaid premiums, with a seizure warning and a link | Does not ask you to pay by email |
| Installing a dedicated app | Does not send such emails |
| Adding a LINE account | Has no official LINE account and does not handle procedures on LINE |
Based on the Japan Pension Service pages "Beware of suspicious emails and SMS impersonating the Japan Pension Service" (updated 19 October 2026) and "Beware of suspicious calls and visits", and its press release of 17 April 2026.
Watch the sender's name as well. The agency has confirmed the use of confusing names such as "National Pension Organization (Kokumin Nenkin Kikō)", "Japan Pension Service Special Desk", "Insurance and Pension Office", "National Pension Centre" and "Benefits Centre"[Japan Pension Service: Notice].
Genuine emails from the agency come from an address ending in "nenkin.go.jp". Because the displayed address can be faked, that alone is not proof. Check that the link's address bar reads "https://….nenkin.go.jp/", with a "/" right after go.jp. Anything like "nenkin.go.jp.…" is a fake site.
If in doubt, do not tap the link; call the pension hotline (Nenkin Dial, 0570-05-1165). From a phone number starting with 050, call 03-6700-1165. Check the number on the agency's website and never call a number written in the email.
Seven tricks and subject lines published by the agency
| Subject or pretext | Where it leads |
|---|---|
| Claims to be a non-existent department such as a "Pension Refund Management Bureau" and offers to transfer the rest of your pension | Asks you to reply with your name and account number |
| "[Notice] Submission of supplementary information | Japan Pension Service" | Makes you install a dedicated app |
| "[Action required] Your pension amount is confirmed — receive it via the app" (payment stops if you miss the deadline) | Makes you install an Android app |
| "[Important] Advance notice of seizure (final notice)" | A cashless payment transfer screen |
| "Important notice: your My Number information is not registered (please check)" | A fake Nenkin Net site that collects images of both sides of the card and personal data |
| "Request to submit missing documents for issuing your social insurance premium deduction certificate" | A fake Nenkin Net login page |
| "[Important] Request for additional documents" (sender: "National Pension Organization") | A fake Nenkin Net login page |
The seizure-notice type quotes real-looking provisions ("under Article 96 of the National Pension Act and Article 47 of the National Tax Collection Act") and even shows something like a basic pension number. The My Number type cites an invented reason: that linking became mandatory with the "full enforcement of the revised Pension Act".
Here is how the 678 enquiries in fiscal 2025 break down. The most common type asked for card images.
| Type of suspicious email (fiscal 2025) | Enquiries |
|---|---|
| Claims your My Number is unregistered or mismatched and asks for card images | 267 |
| Claims documents or procedures are incomplete and asks for missing documents | 185 |
| Asks for missing materials to issue the social insurance premium deduction certificate | 112 |
| Claims "you have pension to collect" or "payment will stop" and urges action | 52 |
| Other | 62 |
Phone calls were even more common: 2,349 in the same year. Of these, 1,633 were automated voice messages saying "your documents have not been confirmed, so your pension will stop unless you act", followed by instructions to press keys or call back. The agency does not contact people by automated voice messages.
How real documents arrive: the deduction certificate and the intention form in November
- Social insurance premium (national pension premium) deduction certificate: people who paid premiums between January and September 2026 receive a paper certificate by post between late October and early November. People who first paid between October and December receive it in early February 2027. People set up to receive it electronically via Mynaportal (the government's online portal) do not get a paper copy[Japan Pension Service: Deduction certificate schedule]. How to claim premiums you paid for family members is covered in Paying a child's or parent's pension and health insurance premiums is fully deductible.
- Intention confirmation form for registering your pension account as a public-benefit receiving account: sent to pension recipients by registered post (kan'i kakitome). Calls, emails and SMS that use this form as a pretext to obtain account numbers have also been confirmed, and the agency updated its warning on 26 October. The agency, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Digital Agency do not ask for account numbers or fees by phone, SMS or email[Japan Pension Service: Intention confirmation form]. What happens if you do not return it is explained in When the pension intention confirmation form arrives.
- Phone calls and visits: the agency does not ask about savings, account numbers or family members by phone or in person. Staff who visit show a photo ID issued by the agency and give a receipt on the spot if they take cash. Pension procedures carry no fees[Japan Pension Service: Beware of suspicious calls and visits].
- Nenkin Net emails: emails about Nenkin Net (the agency's online pension record service) generally carry an electronic signature, except emails for mobile phones and some others.
What to do if you opened, entered or paid
| What happened | What to do now |
|---|---|
| You only received it (you did not open the link) | Delete it. To report it to the agency, use the "Opinions and requests" form on its website |
| You entered your Nenkin Net ID or password | Change the password and contact the pension hotline. Also change the password for any other service that uses the same one |
| You sent images of your My Number Card | Call the My Number general toll-free line (0120-95-0178) |
| You sent your bank account or card number | Contact your bank or card company about suspension or reissue |
| You installed an app (Android) | Switch to airplane mode, delete the app, then check your passwords and any carrier billing charges |
| You paid money (code payment or transfer) | Contact the police (#9110 or your local police station). You can also call the consumer hotline 188 |
Emails impersonating the National Tax Agency and tax offices are circulating at the same time. Their subject lines and how to spot them are covered in "The tax office has sent important documents" is a scam.
Summary
- Enquiries about suspicious emails impersonating the Japan Pension Service reached 678 in fiscal 2025, about 12 times the previous year
- The agency does not ask for account numbers, card images or payments by email. Messages inviting you to an app or LINE are also fake
- "Advance notice of seizure (final notice)" and "missing documents for the social insurance premium deduction certificate" are fake subject lines published by the agency
- The real deduction certificate arrives by post or Mynaportal from late October to early November; the intention form arrives by registered post
- If in doubt, do not tap the link; check with the pension hotline (0570-05-1165)
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Sources
- Japan Pension Service: Beware of suspicious emails and SMS impersonating the Japan Pension Service (updated 19 October 2026, in Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service press release: Beware of suspicious calls and emails (17 April 2026, in Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service: Beware of suspicious calls, emails, SMS, fake sites and fake social media accounts (in Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service: Beware of suspicious calls and visits seeking cash (in Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service: Beware of suspicious calls, emails and SMS about the intention confirmation form (updated 26 October 2026, in Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service: Schedule for the 2026 social insurance premium (national pension premium) deduction certificate (in Japanese)
- Japan Pension Service: We are sending intention confirmation forms for registering pension accounts as public-benefit receiving accounts (in Japanese)
This article is general information based on materials published by the Japan Pension Service as of 4 November 2026. If you are unsure whether a message is genuine, ask the pension hotline, your local pension office, the police or a consumer affairs centre.