About

Making Japanese care understandable for families overseas

Japan Care Concierge helps Japanese people living overseas, people planning a return to Japan, and their families understand the care, medical, and housing decisions they need to make in Japan.

A Home Instead care professional supporting an older adult using a wheelchair

Home Instead Japan

What this site does

From system explanations to your next move

Japan's care system includes long-term care insurance, municipal community support centers, care managers, home-care services, and facility services. If you're overseas or planning a return to Japan, it's easy to get stuck on the basics: what these terms mean, which office to call, what paperwork you need, and what has to be decided first.

Japan Care Concierge is an information and consultation service for that first step. Our articles cover how the systems and procedures work. In individual consultations, we help you work out what to check next for your own situation.

Topics we cover

Care information organized around the decisions families actually face

Care insurance and certification

Application flow, care-need assessment, care levels, and cost-sharing basics.

Home care and daily-life support

Home helpers, monitoring, household support, hospital escorts, and private-pay options.

Facility search and housing

Special nursing homes, paid nursing homes, group homes, and serviced senior housing.

Overseas families and return planning

Time zones, language, insurance after return, and sharing decisions across distance.

How we create information

Public sources connected with practical care-sector knowledge

Articles are created after checking primary information from public sources such as the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, municipalities, and long-term care insurance materials. Where official explanations are hard to apply to family decisions, we add context from care consultation and coordination experience.

When we find information that is outdated or incorrect, we review and update it. Our standards are summarized in the editorial policy.

1Check primary information

We verify how each system works, who to contact, costs, and eligibility against public materials.

2Translate it into family decisions

We turn it into steps a family overseas can actually take.

3Update when needed

Topics affected by system changes or operating changes are reviewed over time.

Editorial supervision

Reviewed by professionals who know care in practice

Our articles and information are produced under the supervision of professionals experienced in Japan's care system, care practice, and care work involving international staff.

Yen Lin林燕

Special Assignment Director, International Division, Social Welfare Corporation Shinkou Fukushikai / Vice Chair, Japan-China Long-Term Care Association

After about four years as director of a dementia group home, she has led Shinkou Fukushikai's international division since 2019, focusing on the recruitment, training, and retention of international care workers. Her work spans partnerships with educational institutions in Japan and abroad, care-practicum program design and operation, Certified Care Worker national-exam preparation, Japanese-language education, and hosting overseas study and training visits.

Credentials

M.A. in Economics, Kanagawa University
Certified Social Worker (Shakai Fukushi-shi)
Certified Care Worker (Kaigo Fukushi-shi)
Care Manager (Kaigo Shien Senmon-in)
Completed Dementia Care Practitioner Training
Completed Dementia-Care Service Manager Training
Completed Instructor Training for Practical Care-Worker Training

Languages: Chinese, Japanese

Seiko Adachi足立聖子

Care Manager and Certified Welfare Facility Manager (former Chair of a social welfare corporation)

She began as a life-support counselor at a fee-based nursing home in 1997, then served six years as director of a special nursing home and four years as head of a municipal community support center, and from 2010 to 2020 as chair of a social welfare corporation. Since 2020 she has run a private (non-insurance) home-care business.

Credentials

B.A. in Gerontology, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin
Social Welfare Officer (Shakai Fukushi Shuji)
Care Manager (Kaigo Shien Senmon-in)
Completed Chief Care Manager Training
Completed Dementia-Care Service Founder Training
Certified Welfare Facility Manager (Fukushi Shisetsu-shi)
RIM-Certified Risk Manager

Languages: Japanese, English

Cross Heart Sakae Yokohama care facility exterior — Cross Heart care services operated by Social Welfare Corporation Shinkou Fukushikai.

Operator

Backed by a social welfare corporation that runs care facilities

Japan Care Concierge is operated with the care-service experience of Social Welfare Corporation Shinkou Fukushikai, established in 1999. Shinkou Fukushikai provides elderly care facilities and services under the Cross Heart name.

Within the broader Shinkou group, Shinkokai, Inc. also operates Home Instead Japan, an in-home care service in the Yokohama and Kawasaki area.

Consultation scope

Using the public and professional resources that already exist

Municipal community support centers, local governments, care managers, and medical institutions are still your primary resources. Our role is to help you find the right office and know what to ask once you get there.

What we can do

Situation organization, system explanations, option comparison, coordination, and English/Japanese family sharing.

What we cannot do

Medical care, emergency response, legal or tax advice, insurance sales, or guaranteed facility admission.

Official information

Verify the operator and group in-home care service on official websites

Corporate profile, history, and service fields are published on the official Shinkou Fukushikai website. Home Instead Japan information is also available on its official website.

View Shinkou Fukushikai View Home Instead

FAQ

About Japan Care Concierge

What is Japan Care Concierge?

Japan Care Concierge is a media-led care concierge service that organizes information on Japanese long-term care insurance, care-need certification, home care, facility search, medical visits, and daily-life support for Japanese people living overseas, returnees, and their families.

Who operates it?

It is operated with the care-service experience of Social Welfare Corporation Shinkou Fukushikai. Shinkou Fukushikai provides elderly care facilities and services under the Cross Heart name.

Do you replace city hall or care managers?

No. Municipal community support centers, local governments, care managers, and medical institutions are still your primary resources. We help you make sense of the situation, work out your next questions, and keep family members in different countries and languages on the same page.

What can you help with in a consultation?

We start with the person's situation, how far apart the family is, language needs, and urgency. From there we tell you the next system, office, or service to check. We do not provide medical care, emergency response, legal or tax advice, insurance sales, or guaranteed facility admission.