Nawrocki signs ratification of social security agreement with Japan

President Karol Nawrocki signed the law ratifying the social security agreement between Poland and Japan. The agreement was signed in Tokyo on 15 April 2026. It is the first bilateral agreement between Poland and Japan in this area; negotiations began in 2021.

The agreement affects about 3,000 Poles living and working in Japan and about 600 Japanese in Poland. It covers the Japanese pension system and, in Poland, the social insurance system and farmers' insurance: pensions, disability and survivors' pensions, compensation and annuities for work accidents and occupational diseases, and funeral benefits.

The agreement is not a migration one: it does not concern the rules on legalising stay in Poland or the right of Japanese citizens to work here. It allows Polish and Japanese insurance periods to be added together to qualify for benefits, and benefits to be transferred when moving to the other country.