Onkyu refers to a pension system to pay governmental compensation to retired public officers who dedicated their lives to the nation during the prewar and wartime periods and their bereaved families. Onkyu supports the lives of those people, so the Director-General for Policy Planning (Onkyu) strives to ensure appropriate payments to recipients.
The Onkyu system, the oldest pension system in Japan, was launched in April 1875, against the backdrop of such incidents as the Saga Revolt and the dispatch of troops to Taiwan, on behalf of Army officers who suffered injury or illness, or died due to the effects of suppression and other military activities on those occasions and their bereaved families.
Pensions for recipients other than former military officers, including civilian officials, were transferred from the Onkyu system to the mutual aid pension system as a result of the entry-into-force of the National Public Officers Mutual Aid Association Act in 1959.
Currently, the number of Onkyu recipients is 92,000 people, most of whom are former military officers who engaged in military service and dedicated their lives to the nation under governmental orders during World War II and their bereaved families.
The average lifespan of Onkyu recipients is 95.2 years old (as of the end of March 2023).
The Onkyu system is so designed as to revise the annual amount of Onkyu benefits in accordance with the rate of increase in the amount of National Pension benefits in order to keep the benefit amount at an appropriate level.
Claims for Onkyu benefits (mainly claims from bereaved families) are promptly and appropriately processed and benefits are paid to recipients accurately and securely.
Considering the advanced age of the recipients, efforts are being made to respond to claims conscientiously and carefully.
Revision of the annual amount of Onkyu benefits
The annual amount of Onkyu benefits is revised in accordance with the rate of change in the amount of National Pension benefits. However, even when the amount of National Pension benefits is lowered, the amount of Onkyu benefits is not reduced due to respect for Onkyu’s nature as governmental compensation.
In line with the revision of the rate of change in the amount of National Pension benefits in FY2024, the annual amount of Onyku benefits was raised by 2.7%. The main annual amounts of Onkyu benefits and the main revised amounts compared with FY2023 are as shown in the table below.
