Health Insurance Subsidies for the Eye Checkup (Ganka Dock): When They Can and Cannot Be Used

When booking an eye checkup (Ganka Dock), we are sometimes asked, “Can I use the subsidy from my employer’s health insurance society?”

In September 2026, we re-checked the official information of the main health insurance societies and mutual aid associations. What we confirmed is as follows.

Among the programs we checked, many subsidies could not be used if only an eye checkup was taken.

This is because subsidies such as those of the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan and the Toyota Auto Parts Health Insurance Society cover a “comprehensive medical checkup (Ningen Dock)” and require taking prescribed test items including a stomach examination and abdominal ultrasound. Some programs also require the checkup to be taken at a designated facility.

However, depending on the combination of tests and the society’s rules, a subsidy may be usable. This article summarizes the difference between when it can and cannot be used, and points for checking with your own society. Please check in advance with the health insurance society you belong to whether an eye checkup is eligible.

TOC

How subsidies are received (settlement method)

Subsidies for a comprehensive medical checkup from a health insurance society fall broadly into two types by how they are settled.

Apply after the checkup (reimbursement method)

You pay the full cost first, then submit the receipt and other documents to the society, and the subsidy amount is transferred to you.

Deducted at the counter (voucher method)

You receive the checkup through a facility under contract with the society or a checkup booking service (such as Benefit One). The subsidy is deducted at the counter, so you pay only your own share.

With either method, the tests that qualify for the subsidy, the facilities where you can be examined, and the booking or application procedures are set separately by each program. The settlement method alone does not decide whether a subsidy can be used for an eye checkup.

Three conditions for checking the possibility of a subsidy

The following are clues for finding whom to ask. This is not a list of programs for which a subsidy for our clinic’s eye checkup has been confirmed in official information. The three conditions may overlap.

1. Taking it as an add-on test on the same day at the same medical institution as a comprehensive medical checkup

Some societies also subsidize tests added to a comprehensive medical checkup.

For example, with the Private School Mutual Aid (staff of private schools), optional add-on tests taken on the same day at the same medical institution as a comprehensive medical checkup that meets prescribed criteria may also be eligible¹. It covers members and dependents aged 35 or over on the day of the checkup, and the subsidy is 50% of the eligible usage fee excluding tax. Including the add-on tests, it is once per fiscal year with a limit of ¥20,000¹。

However, some optional add-on tests are not eligible, so you need to check in advance whether an ophthalmic add-on test is eligible. Also, because it presupposes a facility that provides comprehensive medical checkups, taking only an eye checkup at an ophthalmology-only clinic like ours is not eligible.

2. Recognized as a “specialty checkup” or “checkup for a body part”

Some societies also subsidize “specialty checkups” such as a brain checkup, in addition to the comprehensive medical checkup.

Yaskawa Electric Health Insurance Society: subsidizes one of a comprehensive medical checkup, specialty checkup, PET and so on once a year, up to ¥40,000. It covers the insured person, who can receive the checkup at the nearest medical institution and apply²。
Kraftia Health Insurance Society (formerly Kyudenko Health Insurance Society): its comprehensive medical checkup subsidy for employees also covers “checkups for specific body parts.” The limit is ¥30,000, first come first served for 400 people, and advance application is required. For fiscal 2026, the eligible checkup period and application deadline are also limited^3,4. For spouses and voluntary continuing members, there is a program with different conditions⁴。

In both cases, the official guidance does not state whether an eye checkup counts as a “specialty checkup” or a “checkup for a body part.” Please check with the society before your visit, including the state of acceptance.

3. No designated medical institution, and covers various kinds of checkups

Some societies have no designated medical institution and cover a wide range of checkups such as half-day checkups and brain checkups. For example, the Teijin Group Health Insurance Society subsidizes the actual cost including tax up to ¥20,000 once per fiscal year for insured persons aged 30 or over and insured spouses⁵. There is no designated medical institution, but whether an eye checkup is eligible needs to be confirmed in advance.

Patterns where a subsidy cannot be used or is hard to use

Societies that require the basic items of a comprehensive medical checkup

Even with the reimbursement method, at societies that make taking the basic items a condition, an eye checkup alone is not eligible.

TOTO Health Insurance Society: covers insured persons aged 30 or over and spouses enrolled in the TOTO society. A comprehensive medical checkup that includes the statutory checkup items is required, and 70% of the cost (up to ¥35,000) is subsidized. Applications for fiscal 2026 must arrive by March 20, 2027⁶。
Toyota Auto Parts Health Insurance Society: covers insured persons and dependents aged 35–74 as of the end of the fiscal year, and subsidizes 50% of the cost (up to ¥15,000). You can be examined at a non-contracted medical institution, but must meet the minimum required items such as a stomach examination and abdominal ultrasound, and if taken at a non-contracted institution, you apply within 3 months of the checkup date⁷。
Nikon Health Insurance Society: the comprehensive medical checkup subsidy covers the whole body, and partial or optional tests are not eligible. There is a separate subsidy for a brain checkup, but no subsidy for an eye checkup alone could be confirmed⁸。

Societies that require using a contracted institution or prior procedures

Japan Health Insurance Association (Kyokai Kenpo): from fiscal 2026 (Reiwa 8), a subsidy for comprehensive medical checkups started for insured persons aged 35–74. The subsidy is up to ¥25,000, and requires taking the checkup at a Kyokai Kenpo “comprehensive medical checkup implementing institution”⁹。
JR Group Health Insurance Society (JR Kyushu and others): you use a contracted checkup institution, and additional optional tests are in principle at your own expense. Gynecological tests and PSA tests that meet prescribed conditions are exceptions. Please also check the conditions of each company with your employer¹⁰。
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Mutual Aid Association (national universities and others): you must apply for the subsidy through the checkup booking service (Hapirus). Even if you booked directly with a checkup institution, you must apply for the subsidy through Hapirus. Please follow the guidance for the detailed booking schedule¹¹。
Fukuoka City Employees’ Mutual Aid Association: you must be examined at a medical institution covered by the subsidy, and advance application for the subsidy is also required. Optional tests are at your own expense¹²。
NTT Health Insurance Society: for the “outpatient checkup” (for dependent spouses and voluntary continuing insured persons who meet prescribed conditions), you use an affiliated medical institution listed on the dedicated site. The cost of a checkup at an unlisted facility is entirely at your own expense. For active employees themselves, please check with your employer¹³。
Nidec Health Insurance Society: examination at a contracted medical institution is a prerequisite, and you must book using the checkup booking system. If taken at a non-contracted institution, no subsidy is paid¹⁴。

Societies that give no subsidy for individually chosen comprehensive medical checkups

Toyota Motor Corporation Health Insurance Society: does not subsidize comprehensive medical checkups that individuals choose to take (brain checkups and others are under a separate program)¹⁵。

In addition, the Fukuoka City fiscal 2026 checkup guide does not list an independent eye checkup equivalent to an eye checkup (Ganka Dock). The guided items of the Yoka Dock also do not include OCT and the like¹⁶。

Points to check with your own society

First, check the name of the health insurance society you belong to (the insurer’s name). You can find it in your notice of eligibility information, your eligibility certificate, or your health insurance eligibility information on My Number Portal. Even companies in the same group may belong to different societies (for example, Toyota Motor and Toyota Auto Parts).

Then, on the society’s website or in distributed materials, check the following points.

The settlement method (apply after the checkup, or deducted at the counter)
Whether you can be examined at a non-contracted facility
Whether taking the basic items of a comprehensive medical checkup is required
Whether specialty checkups, checkups for body parts, and add-on tests are eligible
Documents needed for the application (original receipt, itemized list of tests, copy of results and so on)
The application deadline (it differs by society, such as March 20 for TOTO⁶, or within 3 months of the checkup date for Toyota Auto Parts if non-contracted⁷ and others)
Whether family members (dependents) are also eligible

When you inquire, it is easier to convey what you want to confirm if you ask specifically: “Is the comprehensive eye examination taken at an ophthalmology-only clinic (self-pay, including an OCT test, ¥22,000 tax included) eligible for the comprehensive medical checkup subsidy or the specialty checkup subsidy?”

Documents our clinic can issue

We issue the following documents that can be used to apply for a subsidy.

A receipt with the examinee’s name (the description line states the course name, such as “Eye checkup (comprehensive eye examination)”)
A certificate of attendance and itemized list of tests (stating the examination date, course name, tests performed and amount. Issued free of charge)

The itemized list of tests states the tests actually performed, such as refraction and visual acuity tests, intraocular pressure test, axial length measurement, three-dimensional image analysis of the anterior and posterior segments (OCT), and slit-lamp microscopy.

Required documents differ by health insurance society. Regardless of the payment method, please check with the society about the name on the receipt, the items to be stated, and whether the original is required. Card statements or payment-app histories alone may not serve as a substitute. At the time of payment, please tell us that “it will be used for an application to the health insurance society.”

Whether a subsidy is approved is the health insurance society’s decision. Even if the subsidy is not approved, the examination fee cannot be refunded. However, we will issue free of charge the documents needed to reapply because of deficiencies in the documents.

The meaning of an eye checkup even without a subsidy

The eye tests included in health checkups differ by program and course, and some include fundus and eye pressure tests. Because a health checkup and a detailed eye examination at an eye clinic differ in content, please check your own checkup items.

Glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and others may progress without subjective symptoms. In the eye checkup, we examine the state of the retina and optic nerve in detail with OCT (optical coherence tomography), aiming to find early changes.

The Japan Ophthalmologists Association recommends regular examinations by an ophthalmology specialist after age 40¹⁷. Our eye checkup can also be used as one of those regular examinations. The interval between examinations varies with the condition of your eyes, so if you have symptoms of concern, please consult us early. Courses and fees are described on the following page.

About changes to the programs

The content of this article reflects official information of each society as checked in September 2026. Subsidy amounts, eligibility and application deadlines may be reviewed each fiscal year. Before your checkup, please check the latest guidance for that fiscal year on the society’s website or with the department in charge at your workplace.

References

Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan. Subsidy for comprehensive medical checkup expenses. Updated May 27, 2026. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.pmac.shigaku.go.jp/annai/fukushi/kenko/detail/kenko_01.html
Yaskawa Electric Health Insurance Society. Comprehensive medical checkup subsidy program / all insured persons. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.yaskawa-kenpo.or.jp/member/health/checkup_doc.html
Kraftia Health Insurance Society. Various subsidies: advance application and benefit application procedures. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.kyudenko-kenpo.jp/member/health/mhweb.html
Kraftia Health Insurance Society. Notice of fiscal 2026 health programs. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.kyudenko-kenpo.jp/member/health/health_info/pdf/health_info.pdf
Teijin Group Health Insurance Society. Comprehensive medical checkup. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.teijinkenpo.or.jp/health-promotion/doc.php
TOTO Health Insurance Society. Fiscal 2026 application form for comprehensive medical checkup, brain checkup and PET checkup subsidies. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.totokenpo.jp/UploadedFiles/health/checkup.pdf
Toyota Auto Parts Health Insurance Society. Comprehensive medical checkup. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.toyota-groupkenpo.jp/health_dock
Nikon Health Insurance Society. Comprehensive medical checkup program. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.nikon-kenpo.jp/member/health/doc_short_a.html
Japan Health Insurance Association. Notice of new checkups. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.kyoukaikenpo.or.jp/lp/2026kenshin/
JR Group Health Insurance Society. Comprehensive medical checkup. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.jrkenpo.or.jp/health_promotion/medical_checkup/
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Mutual Aid Association. Fiscal 2026 guide to comprehensive medical checkups and specific health checkups. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://kenshin.happylth.com/client/monka/docs/MedicalGuidance.pdf
Fukuoka City Employees’ Mutual Aid Association. Comprehensive medical checkups and milestone checkups. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://city-fukuoka-kyosai.or.jp/fukushi/
NTT Health Insurance Society. Outpatient checkup. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.nttkenpo.jp/member/health/dock.html
Nidec Health Insurance Society. Health checkups: insured persons (employees). Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.nidec-kenpo.or.jp/member/health/checkup-own_a.html
Toyota Motor Corporation Health Insurance Society. Brain checkups and dental checkups. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.toyotakenpo.jp/medical_checkup/other/
Fukuoka City. Fiscal 2026 health checkup guide. Accessed September 29, 2026. https://www.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/hofuku/shika-eiyo/health/kenko-dukuri/kenshingaido.html
Japan Ophthalmologists Association. Recommendation for regular eye examinations. Accessed September 30, 2026. https://www.gankaikai.or.jp/health/43/