I need help understanding the pension agreement between Japan and Canada....

I figured the Lump-Sum thing was for non-agreement countries

The lump-sum refund is also for anyone who thinks they'll exceed the minimum contribution period in their other (agreement) country. For example, if you know you'll work enough in your home country to collect a pension there without relying on totalization, then your Japanese contribution years (assuming you have fewer than 10) are fairly useless, at least as far as retirement benefits go. (They may still have value with respect to disability/survivor's benefits.)

told him I was pretty sure I can have all 4 years totalized into my overall pension.

They can only be totalized to ensure that you receive a pension; they won't increase the value of your pension. So if you don't need the years for eligibility reasons, you may be better off with the lump-sum refund.

/r/japanlife Thread Parent