This page is general information from official city pages. It is not medical advice. Whether you should get a vaccine, and which one, is for you and your doctor to decide. For questions about the subsidy, ask the health office of the city where you are registered.
If you or a parent living with you is 65 or older, the city can pay part of the cost of a flu shot, and in some years a shingles shot. This page explains how the 2026–27 subsidies work in three cities in Ehime Prefecture: Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama. It covers who is eligible, what you pay at the clinic, the deadlines, and how to book. It also covers Imabari City’s discount on flu shots for children.
In short
- Flu shot for people 65 and over: you pay ¥1,500 in all three cities, once between October 1, 2026 and January 31, 2027 (section 2).
- Shingles shot: only for people who turn 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100 in the year from April 2026 to March 2027. You pay ¥4,000 for the live vaccine, or ¥10,500 per dose for the two-dose recombinant vaccine. The deadline is March 31, 2027 (section 4).
- You must be registered as a resident (住民登録, jumin toroku) in the city. There is no city vaccination center: you book directly with a clinic on the city’s list (sections 1 and 2).
- Children: Imabari City mails discount coupons worth ¥1,000 per flu shot. Matsuyama treats children’s flu shots as optional, at full price (section 3).
Checked with official pages on October 12, 2026.
Both shots are free with a welfare certificate in Matsuyama and Niihama. Imabari’s pages do not mention a free shot.
This page covers three cities only. If you live in another city or town in Ehime, ask its health office about the rules.
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1. Can I use the subsidy as a foreign resident?
Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama
The flu and shingles shots for older people are routine vaccinations (定期接種, teiki sesshu) under Japan’s Immunization Act. The city pays part of the cost. On all three city pages, the condition is a resident registration in that city; the pages do not mention nationality.
Foreign residents with a residence card who stay more than three months are registered at the city office when they move in. According to Matsuyama City, short-term visitors and people staying three months or less cannot be registered, so the subsidy is not for travelers.
Two more words you will see. The Japanese fiscal year (年度, nendo) runs from April 1 to March 31, and the shingles rules use it. Vaccinations outside these programs are optional (任意接種, nin’i sesshu), and you pay the full price. The clinic sets that price.
Getting these shots is your own choice. Matsuyama says there is no legal duty to get the flu shot, and Imabari says the shots are not compulsory.
2. Flu shots for people 65 and over
Matsuyama, Imabari and Niihama
2.1 Who is eligible, and when?
You are eligible if you are registered in the city and are 65 or older on the day of the shot. People aged 60 to 64 are also eligible if they have a disability of the heart, kidneys or lungs, or of immune function caused by HIV, at the level of a grade 1 physical disability certificate (身体障害者手帳, shintai shogaisha techo).
The city pays toward one shot only, between Thursday, October 1, 2026 and Sunday, January 31, 2027. Matsuyama says a second shot in the same period is at your own full cost. Imabari says a shot taken before your 65th birthday is not covered.
Two cities started early at clinics inside the city: Niihama from Friday, September 11, and Imabari from Friday, September 25, 2026. In September, only people registered in that city could get the early shot, and not every clinic started early.
2.2 How do I book?
- Find a clinic on your city’s list. Each city publishes a list of clinics that give the subsidized shot (links in section 5). There is no city-run vaccination site.
- Call the clinic to book. Ask whether they have the vaccine and a free slot. Imabari says some clinics give shots only on set days or in a set period. The city pages do not say whether clinics can take bookings in English.
- Bring ID and the fee. The cities ask for ID that shows your name, address and date of birth, such as a My Number Card. Niihama lists the My Number Card or the eligibility certificate for health insurance (資格確認書). Bring the ¥1,500, and the disability certificate if you are 60 to 64.
- Fill in the questionnaire at the clinic. The preliminary questionnaire (予診票, yoshinhyo) is kept at the clinic. Matsuyama does not mail a questionnaire, and Imabari does not mail a voucher postcard for the flu shot. In Imabari, use the vaccination record card (予防接種記録カード) the city has already given out.
Note
Getting the shot outside your city works differently in each city. Imabari: at designated clinics in Ehime, the same as inside the city. Niihama: at clinics in Ehime that take part in the prefecture-wide program; ask the clinic. Matsuyama: contact the city before you go, because it must send your questionnaire to the clinic first. Outside Ehime, for example during a hospital stay, all three cities need a procedure before the shot.
If you get welfare (生活保護, seikatsu hogo), the shot is free in Matsuyama and Niihama when you bring a certificate from the welfare office. Matsuyama also makes it free for people who get support payments for Japanese left behind in China (中国残留邦人等支援給付). Imabari’s page does not mention a free shot.
3. Flu shots for children
Imabari City, Matsuyama City
Imabari City takes ¥1,000 off each flu shot for children who live in the city, if you bring the city’s discount coupon (助成券, joseiken). Children aged 6 months to 6th grade of elementary school are covered, plus 3rd-year junior high and 3rd-year high school students. The coupon can be used from October 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, only at clinics inside Imabari City. Clinics in Imabari started giving children’s shots early, from Friday, September 25.
- Check the mail. The city sends coupons to families by about mid-September. Children up to age 12 can get two shots, so they get two coupons.
- Book with a clinic on the list. The nasal vaccine is also covered; children aged 12 and under use both coupons at once for ¥2,000 off.
- Bring three things: the coupon, something that shows the child’s address, name and date of birth (such as a My Number Card), and the Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳) for the record.
- Lost the coupon, or your baby turns 6 months during the period? Apply through the city’s online form (今治てのひら市役所). The form is in Japanese.
The coupon cannot be used after you move out of Imabari. In Matsuyama, the city lists the children’s flu shot as an optional vaccination, at your own full cost. Niihama City’s list of vaccination notices does not include a children’s flu subsidy; ask the Health Center if you are not sure.
4. Shingles shots
National rule, run by each city
4.1 Who is eligible in 2026–27?
Shingles shots became a routine vaccination in April 2025. Each person can get the subsidy only once in their life. In fiscal 2026 (April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027), you are eligible if you turn 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100 during that fiscal year. Ages 70 and up are part of a five-year transition that runs until fiscal 2029.
By date of birth, that means people born between April 2 and April 1 of these years: 1961–62 (65), 1956–57 (70), 1951–52 (75), 1946–47 (80), 1941–42 (85), 1936–37 (90), 1931–32 (95) and 1926–27 (100). You can get the shot from the start of the fiscal year, even before your birthday.
People aged 60 to 64 on the day of the shot are also eligible if they have an immune disability caused by HIV that makes daily life almost impossible. Unlike the flu shot, heart, kidney and lung disabilities are not included. If you are eligible this year and do not get the shot by March 31, 2027, you are not eligible in later years.
4.2 Which vaccine?
There are two vaccines. The live vaccine is one injection under the skin. The recombinant vaccine is two injections into the muscle, usually at least two months apart. Matsuyama says people whose immune system is weakened by illness or treatment cannot get the live vaccine. You can choose only one type.
The two differ in how many shots you need, how long protection lasts and the side effects. Choose with the doctor who gives the shot. Matsuyama and Niihama say a shingles shot can be given on the same day as a flu or COVID-19 shot if the doctor thinks it is necessary.
Important
With the recombinant vaccine, both doses must be finished by March 31, 2027. If the second dose falls on April 1 or later, it is no longer a routine vaccination and you pay a different, optional price. Imabari asks people to get the first dose by December if possible.
4.3 What does the city send, and what do I bring?
All three cities ask you to book directly with a clinic on the city’s list. Matsuyama says it has no call center or booking website. What arrives in the mail differs:
- Matsuyama: a vaccination record card for older people (高齢者定期予防接種記録カード), mailed from mid-May. The questionnaire is at the clinic.
- Imabari: an invitation letter that is also the voucher (案内状（兼接種券）). If you do not have it, ID that shows your address and date of birth is enough.
- Niihama: a record card and a pink questionnaire, mailed in early April 2026. If you moved in and did not get them, contact the Health Center.
Bring the papers your city sent, ID such as a My Number Card, and the fee. In Matsuyama and Niihama, people aged 60 to 64 who qualify are not mailed these papers. In Matsuyama they bring the disability certificate instead; in Niihama they take it to the Health Center first to get the papers.
The welfare rules are the same as for the flu shot. Niihama says people who already had a shingles vaccine at their own cost are not eligible. Matsuyama says they are basically not eligible, but may be if a doctor decides it is necessary.
5. City by city: where to ask
Each city’s page has the clinic list and the rules for shots outside the city. The pages are in Japanese.
5.1 Matsuyama City
Matsuyama City
Flu shots for people 65 and over: Matsuyama City: routine flu vaccination for older people. Shingles: Matsuyama City: routine shingles vaccination. To get a subsidized shot at a clinic in Ehime but outside Matsuyama, contact the city before you go.
Public Health Prevention Division (保健予防課), vaccination section: Matsuyama City Public Health Center 1F, 6-30-5 Kayamachi, Matsuyama City. Google Maps. Phone: 089-911-1858.
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5.2 Imabari City
Imabari City
Flu shots for people 65 and over: Imabari City: flu vaccination for older people. Children’s coupon: Imabari City child-rearing portal: flu vaccination subsidy for children. Shingles: Imabari City: shingles vaccination for older people.
For a clinic outside Ehime, or one in Ehime that is not designated, apply before the shot; you can then claim part of the cost back later. Imabari also says that clinics may change their start and end dates, so check with the clinic.
Health Promotion Division (健康推進課), Imabari Central Health Center: Imabari Central Community Hall 1F, 1-6-1 Minamihorai-cho, Imabari City. Google Maps. Phone: 0898-36-1533.
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5.3 Niihama City
Niihama City
Flu shots for people 65 and over: Niihama City: flu vaccination for older people, fiscal 2026. Shingles: Niihama City: shingles vaccination for older people, fiscal 2026. Niihama does not mail a notice to people aged 60 to 64 who qualify for the flu shot.
For a clinic outside Ehime, get the city’s vaccination request letter (予防接種実施依頼書) before the shot, or the city will not pay part of the cost. Niihama also asks people with a chronic illness to get the shot from a doctor who knows their health well.
Health Promotion Division (健康推進課), Health Center: 4-7-17 Shonai-cho, Niihama City. Google Maps. Phone: 0897-35-1070.
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Common questions
I turn 65 in December. Can I get the subsidized flu shot in November?
No. The flu subsidy is for people who are 65 or older on the day of the shot, and Imabari says a shot before your 65th birthday is not covered. Book after your birthday. The shingles shot is different: it goes by the fiscal year, so you can get it from April.
Can I get the flu and shingles shots on the same day?
Matsuyama and Niihama say it is possible if the doctor thinks it is necessary. They also say the live shingles vaccine needs a gap of at least 27 days from other live vaccines. Ask the doctor who gives the shot.
I had the first recombinant dose before I turned eligible. Is the second dose covered?
Matsuyama says yes: if the second dose is given in your eligible fiscal year, it counts as a routine vaccination. Switching to the live vaccine for the second dose is not accepted.
Is there a vaccination voucher for the flu shot?
No. Imabari says it does not mail a voucher postcard, and Matsuyama says it does not mail the questionnaire; the questionnaire is at the clinic. Niihama does not mail a notice to people aged 60 to 64 who qualify. Book with a clinic yourself.
Next steps
- Moving to Matsuyama City: register your address first; the subsidy depends on it.
- Child sick at night or on a holiday in Ehime: #8000, #7119 and children’s emergency clinics.
- Children’s medical costs in Ehime: the city subsidy up to age 18.
Sources (checked October 2026)
10 pages we checked
- Matsuyama City: routine flu vaccination for older people (updated September 10, 2026)
- Matsuyama City: routine shingles vaccination for older people (updated April 13, 2026)
- Matsuyama City: optional vaccinations (updated July 8, 2026)
- Matsuyama City: for foreign residents who move or come to Japan (updated July 2, 2026)
- Imabari City: flu vaccination for older people, fiscal 2026
- Imabari City child-rearing portal: flu vaccination subsidy for children
- Imabari City: shingles vaccination for older people
- Niihama City: flu vaccination for older people, fiscal 2026 (updated October 1, 2026)
- Niihama City: shingles vaccination for older people, fiscal 2026 (updated March 23, 2026)
- Niihama City: Health Promotion Division pages
