Online Support

Care coordination for families supporting a parent in Japan

A certification result is legally due in 30 days, and the median insurer takes 39.3 days. Most of that wait is paperwork and phone calls inside Japanese business hours. We handle those online, with on-site work centred on Kanagawa.

30 minfirst consultation, free
Kanagawaon-the-ground base
2 business daysreply to any question
An elderly couple on a video call with family members living abroadOnline consultations across time zones
Book an online consultationSee how support works

Common situations

Municipal desks, clinics and care providers all work Japanese business hours, and almost nothing in the care system happens outside them. We make those calls while you sleep. The result reaches you in writing within two business days.

Japan business hours only

The municipal long-term care insurance desk and the community support center both operate on Japanese business hours. A question that takes five minutes can wait a week if nobody is awake to ask it. We ask on Japan's clock instead.

Phone calls mislead

A parent who sounds fine at their best hour may be struggling at 7 p.m. The home-visit assessment is where those changes have to be described, and parents routinely understate them. We write the account of daily life that goes in front of the assessor.

Every institution speaks Japanese

The certification application, the home-visit assessment and the care manager meeting all run in Japanese. Few municipalities offer interpretation. We prepare each conversation in Japanese and report it back in English.

Nobody joins it up

The municipal desk, the clinic and the care manager each hold one part of the file. Without a reachable contact in Japan, nobody puts them together. We keep one written record every party can be pointed at.

How we help

The first consultation is 30 minutes, free and held online. Most coordination is paperwork and phone calls, which need nobody in the room. These parts run fully remote.

Consultations and planning

Video consultation happens at a time that fits your zone, not Japan's afternoon. You come out of it with the next step named and, if you continue, a written scope and fee.

Reporting and family meetings

You get a written update after each step and a reply within two business days. Family meetings are scheduled into your evening rather than Japan's afternoon.

Calls while you sleep

We call the municipal desk, the care manager and the clinic during Japanese business hours. The outcome is waiting in writing when you wake.

How It Actually Moves

How remote support runs

Distance support is not a video call and good intentions. Four steps run between your first message and a working plan, and only the home-visit assessment needs someone physically in Japan.

01

An intake call online

The intake call is scheduled to fit where you live, not Japan's business day. You come out of it knowing which desk to call and what the parent's registered address means for the procedure.

02

A bilingual situation summary

One document in English and Japanese, covering health, daily life and the open decisions. The Japanese half is what the assessor and the doctor read. The English half is what the family approves against.

03

Coordination on Japan's clock

We call the municipal long-term care insurance desk and the community support center during Japanese business hours. The support center is free to consult and needs no referral. The work does not wait for your availability.

04

Decisions in writing

Updates arrive as documents you can read and answer in your own time. Live calls are reserved for decisions rather than status.

Support scope

A bilingual situation summary the family and institutions can both use

Question lists prepared before each municipal or medical conversation

A written report after each coordination step, in English

An escalation plan naming who is called first and who holds keys

How it works

01

Tell us where the parent is registered and what prompted you to get in touch.

02

We say what runs online and whether your parent's region fits our on-the-ground coverage.

03

If you continue, the scope and fee come in writing, then the bilingual summary and first actions with dates.

Example cases

On-the-ground work is centred on Kanagawa and assessed case by case elsewhere. Online work carries no such limit. This is where the line falls.

What runs online

Consultation, the bilingual summary and every question list happen online. Calls to the municipal desk and the care manager are made from Japan on your behalf. Reporting back is written and in English.

On the ground

Being present at the home-visit assessment is the one step that genuinely needs someone local. Facility tours and accompanying appointments are the same. Both are centred on Kanagawa and assessed case by case elsewhere.

Outside Kanagawa

For a parent elsewhere in Japan we work alongside the local care manager and the district community support center. About 5,487 of those centers cover the country, so every address has one. When distance makes us the wrong choice we say so.

Online support pricing

The first consultation is 30 minutes and free. Online work is then quoted in writing before it starts, based on how many institutions are in play. We take no referral fees from facilities or providers.

  • A free first consultation to confirm regional fit
  • Project-based support for a defined decision, handled remotely
  • Ongoing coordination and reporting for families fully abroad

Frequently asked questions

Can Japan Care Concierge help if my parent lives outside Tokyo or Kanagawa?

Often yes for the online layer, which covers planning, paperwork and English reporting across every region in Japan. In-person tasks outside Kanagawa are assessed case by case, usually alongside the local care manager. We say plainly when we are not the right fit.

Which parts of care coordination genuinely need someone local?

The home-visit assessment is the main one, along with facility visits and accompanying appointments. Everything else around those moments is preparation and reporting, which travels. The certification application itself can be filed by the community support center when nobody is in Japan.

How do online family meetings work across time zones?

Meetings are scheduled into the family's evening rather than Japan's business day, and most updates arrive in writing so decisions can be discussed asynchronously. Questions are answered within two business days. Live calls are reserved for decisions rather than status updates.

Is an online consultation enough to get started?

Yes. The first consultation is 30 minutes and free, and it needs only the parent's registered address and a rough picture of the situation. From there we say what moves remotely and what needs local hands.

Does online-only support cost less than on-the-ground support?

Generally yes, because travel and in-person time are not involved. Pricing follows how many institutions are in play and how often you need reporting. The quote is in writing before any work starts.

Related reading

These pages cover the situations online support is built around. The overseas guide sets out a 30-day action plan you can run from abroad.