Pension information to new employer

I have decided to leave my current ALT dispatch company because they don't fulfill what is in the contract and they cut corners whenever possible.

Another ALT dispatch company has hired me and we are in the process of completing paperwork.

The new company has asked me for my pension information, but I'm unaware of any pension information.

When I first arrived here my current ALT dispatch company hired a Japanese translator to do all of the paperwork at city hall. I never recieved any information about pension until later in the year when I received a 60,000 bill in the mail.

I was shocked and confused. I contacted my company. They again hired a Japanese translator to go with me to city hall and discuss pension. At the end of it, I was told that it was a mistake. Pension is an option. I can opt out. And so I thought I did.

Until now.

The new company is telling me that pension is mandatory and I must give them my pension information.

My question, is it mandatory?
How could me and the translator be at city hall and her tell me no! I tried to do my own research and always found mixed information. At the time I trusted my company, but now not so much.

My next question, what happens next?
Do I go back to pension (alone), ask for information, and ask for them to send the bills to my new house?

Yes, every resident of Japan must enroll into the pension system, including foreigners! But many people - Japanese and non-Japanese - chose not to do so. Many companies hiring foreigners will not enroll their employees to save money themselves, and most foreigners appreciate saving money, as well. It is illegal. Until now, the government has been lenient on non-payers, but they are now starting to become stricter.

If you can't find your pension number or were never enrolled, you have to get newly enrolled. If you are a full-time employee, your company is supposed to enroll you.

Hello Uji,
Thank you so much for the clarification.
I'm happy to finally hear that (even though I dreaded it, haha).

My new employer said I must go to my current city hall and cancel my pension there. I need to bring my National Pension record book and a document with my National Pension number. Once there, I must tell them that I am canceling because my new employer will enroll me on shakai hoken.

However, even though the translator from my current employer said she enrolled me in National Pension, I never received a record book (I don't even know what it looks like). All I have is old bills that my company assured me were a mistake and I didn’t have to pay.

Can I simply explain to them the situation and ask for a payment plan with bills that are sent to my new address? Will they cancel my pension in my current city?

If you received 60,000yen bill for the last year’s National Pension, that means you have National pension number (基礎年金番号) even though you haven’t paid them. I don’t know why you haven’t received any Pension Handbook (年金手帳). So you should call and ask your pension number. If the booklet is mission, you can ask reissue the handbook for your future use.
In this URL, you'll see what the blue handbook looks like. (in Japanese)
http://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/seidozenpan/yakuwari/20131107.html

You supposed to pay from the month you became resident, but not that strict (I don't think).
You can start this year with the company’s Shakai-hoken. If the company has that plan, it is mandatory. Shakai-hoken is usually set of pension plan, health insurance and unemployment insurance. You cannot reject pension plan alone.

To receive old age pension, you need to pay at least 10 years, so many non-Japanese people would claim Lump-sum withdrawal payments when they leave Japan,
See this for more information.
http://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/pamphletenglish/index.html

Sorry...missing or lost, not "mission"

If you were indeed enrolled previously, your old company HR person may have the book. If you cannot find your number, the pension agency can - if you also supply them with the name and address of the old company.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Yes, I never received any information, paperwork, booklet, etc about Pension!
Even though I was right there with the translator when she signed me up.
I assumed it would be given to me at a later date, but it wasn't.
That's why I was so shocked when the bill came in!

I will go to city hall and discuss the problem with them.
Hopefully they will cancel it and just re-issue the bills to me.

as you said .. you canceled your pension.
meaning it has been canceled .. so just tell the new company that you dont have .. they will create a new one for you.

If there's any chance whatsoever that you've paid anything into the Japanese pension system, you ought to find out the details and get a hard copy for your records.

The National Pension Office in your city can look you up in their system. Just take whatever you've got for a hint (eg: an old pay stub showing your employee ID number.)

With the new "My Number" system, tracking your pension data should be easy going forward. But for employment in the past, you may have to provide some other ID to help them easily locate your records.