Overview

• Officials re-examined 2,895 mental-disorder cases denied between April and July 2024 and converted 124 decisions to payments, a 4.3% reversal rate.
• Rechecks placed greater weight on symptom course and prognosis, actual job duties and employment, and the impact of work on daily life.
• A ministry sampling found a 13% non-payment rate in fiscal 2024, up 4.6 points year on year, while Japan Pension Service data show 13.8% and record highs for both share and count.
• The ministry says it found no evidence of illegal procedures or deviations from criteria but acknowledges the earlier outcomes were not appropriate.
• Authorities aim to finish reviewing last year’s cases by year-end, extend inspections to the current fiscal year, process about 2,000 cases per month from October, and check whether some approved cases were graded correctly.