Home insurance in Japan is called 火災保険 (kasai hoken — literally “fire insurance”) though it covers far more than fire. It is strongly recommended and often required by landlords as a condition of lease. Understanding your coverage prevents unpleasant surprises after damage occurs.
Types of Coverage
Kasai Hoken (火災保険) — Building/Contents Insurance
The core residential insurance product covers:
- Fire (火災): Fire damage to your belongings and interior fixtures you’re responsible for
- Water damage (水濡れ): Damage from leaks, burst pipes (including from neighboring units flooding down)
- Wind and storm (風災): Typhoon damage; broken windows; storm damage
- Theft (盗難): Stolen belongings
- Accidental damage (不測の偶発事故): Accidental damage you cause to fixtures (dropping something heavy through the floor, etc.)
Note: Earthquake damage is NOT covered by standard kasai hoken — it requires a separate earthquake rider (地震保険, jishin hoken).
Jishin Hoken (地震保険) — Earthquake Insurance
- Separate rider attached to kasai hoken; cannot be purchased standalone
- Covers damage caused directly by earthquakes, including fires that start from earthquakes and tsunami
- Coverage is limited by law to 30–50% of the kasai hoken sum insured; not intended to fully replace damaged property — it’s a partial recovery payment
- Claims are based on damage level (全損/大半損/小半損/一部損 — total/major partial/minor partial/minor damage)
- Strongly recommended given Japan’s seismic environment; premium is subsidized by the government
Jitaku Sogo Hoken (自宅総合保険) / Renters Insurance
Many policies combine kasai hoken with personal liability coverage (個人賠償責任保険, kojin baisho sekinin hoken), which covers:
- Accidental damage you cause to others’ property (flooding neighbor’s apartment with an overflowing bath)
- Personal injury you accidentally cause to others
- This liability coverage is often the most important component for renters — water leak incidents between floors are common in Japanese apartments
What Tenants vs Landlords Cover
- Landlord’s building insurance: The landlord insures the building structure itself (壁、床、天井の構造部分)
- Tenant’s insurance: Covers your belongings (家財), your liability for accidental damage, and sometimes interior fixtures you’ve added
- The key distinction: if your bathroom floods and damages the ceiling of the apartment below, your personal liability coverage handles it — not the landlord’s policy
Costs and Providers
Annual premiums for a typical 1LDK Tokyo apartment (family goods insured at ¥2M, with earthquake rider and personal liability):
- Approximately ¥15,000–¥30,000/year for a 2-year policy
- Real estate agents typically arrange insurance at lease signing — convenient but often not the best value
- Comparing independently can save ¥5,000–¥15,000 per policy period
Major providers: Tokio Marine (東京海上), Sompo Japan (損保ジャパン), Aioi Nissay Dowa (あいおいニッセイ同和), Saison Kasai Hoken (direct online, very popular for value).
How to Get Insurance as a Foreign Resident
- Through your real estate agent: Most convenient; arranged at signing; often inflexible on coverage customization
- Direct online: Saison Kasai Hoken and similar providers have fully online application; foreign nationals with residence cards can apply; documentation: residence card, address, building information
- Through your employer: Some large international employers have group housing insurance arrangements
Making a Claim
- Contact your insurer immediately after damage occurs; most have 24-hour claim lines
- Document damage with photographs before any cleanup or repair
- Keep receipts for emergency repairs (temporary fixes to stop further damage are typically covered)
- For water damage from neighboring units: your insurer and the neighbor’s insurer coordinate; avoid accepting direct payment from neighbors without insurer involvement
- English-language support: limited at most Japanese insurers; have a Japanese-speaking friend assist with initial claim filing if needed
Common Gaps in Coverage to Watch For
- Earthquake damage to contents: only covered if you have the jishin hoken rider — and even then, only partially
- Gradual water damage (カビ from slow leak): often excluded; only sudden accidental water damage is typically covered
- Bicycle theft: often excluded from basic policies; add-on coverage available
- High-value items (jewelry, cameras, musical instruments): declare separately and add a floater for items above the policy’s per-item limit