If you are 65 or older and live in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi City, Ube or Shunan, the city’s routine flu shot costs you ¥1,490 at the clinic, and you can get it once by Sunday, February 28, 2027. It is free for people on public assistance (生活保護, seikatsu hogo), and in Yamaguchi City also for people receiving support for Japanese left behind in China; a household exempt from the municipal tax still pays ¥1,490 (Shimonoseki). Iwakuni pays part of the cost of flu shots for children instead.
In short
- Older adults pay ¥1,490 in all four cities. The period ends on February 28, 2027 everywhere.
- Start dates for fiscal 2026: Ube September 16, Yamaguchi City September 18, Shimonoseki September 24 (all earlier than usual), Shunan October 1.
- People on public assistance pay nothing if they show their certificate.
- Iwakuni pays ¥2,500 per injection or ¥5,000 per nasal spray dose for children from 6 months to the third year of junior high school.
- Shingles shots for people turning 65, 70, 75 and so on in fiscal 2026 cost ¥2,660 (live vaccine) or ¥6,620 per dose (two-dose vaccine) until March 31, 2027.
Checked with official pages on October 22, 2026.
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Yamaguchi flu shot subsidy for 65 and over: cost and dates in 4 cities
In all four cities, the routine flu shot is for people 65 and over, and for people aged 60 to 64 with a grade 1 level disability of the heart, kidneys, lungs or of the immune system caused by HIV, and the city pays for one shot in the period. Shunan says a shot outside the period is at your full cost, and Shimonoseki says a second shot is at your full cost.
| City | You pay (65+) | Period (2026–27) |
|---|---|---|
| Shimonoseki | ¥1,490 | Sep 24 – Feb 28 |
| Yamaguchi City | ¥1,490 | Sep 18 – Feb 28 |
| Ube | ¥1,490 | Sep 16 – Feb 28 |
| Shunan | ¥1,490 | Oct 1 – Feb 28 |
From October 1 you can also use clinics in other cities in the prefecture (see outside your city). In all four cities you get the shot at a clinic on the city’s list (個別接種, kobetsu sesshu), not at a group event. Choose a clinic from your city’s list of participating clinics and call to check that it has the vaccine and a free slot. Shimonoseki, Ube and Shunan say each clinic may start, or stop taking shots, on a different day. Iwakuni’s children’s subsidy is in the Iwakuni section.
For foreign residents: the subsidy follows the city where you are registered as a resident (住民登録, jumin toroku). According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, foreign nationals who live in Japan legally for more than three months, including residence card holders, are on the resident register like Japanese nationals (Basic Resident Registration System for foreign residents, English). The city pages have no separate rule for foreign residents, so the same price applies if you are registered and meet the age rule. Yamaguchi City gives a My Number card or a driver’s license as examples of ID; whether a residence card alone is enough is not stated.
Yamaguchi City and Ube say the shot is not compulsory. You decide yourself after understanding both the benefit and the risk of side effects.
Shimonoseki: ¥1,490 from September 24 to February 28
In Shimonoseki you pay ¥1,490, from September 24, 2026 to February 28, 2027. The city usually starts on October 1, but moved the start one week earlier because flu began spreading in the prefecture (Shimonoseki City press release, September 16, 2026 (Japanese)). You must be registered as a resident of the city. People on public assistance pay nothing. Households exempt from the municipal tax pay the same price as everyone else.
Bring something that shows your address and date of birth, such as the My Number health insurance card (マイナ保険証) or the health insurance eligibility certificate (資格確認書, shikaku kakuninsho). People aged 60 to 64 who qualify bring their physical disability certificate (身体障害者手帳), and people on public assistance bring their certificate. If you do not have a grade 1 certificate yet, for example because your application is pending, a doctor may still find that you qualify; talk to your regular doctor.
From October 1, you can also get the shot at the same price at clinics in other cities in Yamaguchi Prefecture that are members of the Yamaguchi Medical Association. If you need the shot outside the prefecture, for example during a long hospital stay, you need a vaccination request letter (予防接種依頼書), which takes about two weeks; the city then pays back all or part of what you paid (Shimonoseki City: flu vaccination for older adults, fiscal 2026 (Japanese)).
| Office | Vaccination Section, Health and Medical Policy Division 保健医療政策課 予防接種係 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 083-231-2664 |
| Address | 1-1 Nabe-cho, Shimonoseki 下関市南部町1番1号 |
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Yamaguchi City: ¥1,490, and from October at clinics across the prefecture
In Yamaguchi City you pay ¥1,490, from Friday, September 18, 2026 to Sunday, February 28, 2027. The city started earlier than its usual October 1, and in September only clinics inside the city took part. From October 1, you can also go to listed clinics anywhere in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The city says the shot starts to work about two weeks later, that getting it by mid-December is effective for the flu season, and that vaccine stock can run low near the end of the period.
You must be registered as a resident of Yamaguchi City on the day of the shot. People aged 60 to 64 who qualify need a copy of their grade 1 physical disability certificate or a doctor’s certificate of a grade 1 level disability; you pay for the doctor’s certificate. It is free for people on public assistance who show their certificate (医療依頼証兼生活保護費受給証), and for people receiving support for Japanese left behind in China (中国残留邦人等支援給付) who show their certificate.
At the clinic, show an ID such as a My Number card or a driver’s license and fill in the questionnaire (予診票, yoshinhyo) that the clinic has. If you want the shot outside the prefecture, apply to the city first (Yamaguchi City: flu vaccination for older adults, fiscal 2026 (Japanese)).
| Office | Health Promotion Division, Yamaguchi City Health Center 健康増進課 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 083-921-2666 |
| Address | 2-6-6 Itoyone, Yamaguchi 山口市糸米二丁目6番6号 |
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Ube: ¥1,490 from September 16
In Ube you pay ¥1,490, people on public assistance pay nothing, and the period is September 16, 2026 to February 28, 2027. The city started early because flu spread earlier than usual. Clinics started on different days, so check with yours first.
You must be registered as a resident of Ube on the day of the shot. People aged 60 to 64 who qualify need a grade 1 physical disability certificate or a doctor’s certificate. Bring an ID such as a My Number card and the fee, and your certificate if you are on public assistance. If you want the shot outside the prefecture, for example because you live in a care facility, apply to the city first (Ube City: flu vaccination (Japanese)).
| Office | Health Promotion Division 健康福祉部 健康増進課 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 0836-31-1777 |
| Address | 2-1-10 Kotoshiba-cho, Ube 宇部市琴芝町二丁目1番10号 |
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Shunan: ¥1,490 from October 1 to February 28
In Shunan the shot costs ¥1,490, from October 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Clinics may start at different times depending on vaccine deliveries, and a shot outside the period is at your full cost. People in households on public assistance pay nothing if they show their certificate.
Bring an ID with your address and date of birth, such as a My Number card, a document that shows the level of disability if you are 60 to 64, and your vaccination record (予防接種の記録). If you do not have one, the clinic issues it after the shot. Some clinics need a reservation; the city’s list of participating clinics shows them. A separate city page explains what to do if you want the shot at a clinic outside Shunan (Shunan City: flu vaccination for older adults, fiscal 2026 (Japanese)).
| Office | Health Promotion Division, Tokuyama Health Center 健康づくり推進課 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 0834-22-8553 |
| Address | 1-1 Kodama-cho, Shunan 周南市児玉町1丁目1番地 |
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Iwakuni: ¥2,500 per children’s flu shot
Iwakuni pays ¥2,500 per injection or ¥5,000 per nasal spray dose toward flu shots for children from 6 months to 15 (the third year of junior high school). The nasal spray amount changed in fiscal 2026. You pay the clinic’s price minus the city’s amount. The period is October 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027, and the child must be registered as a resident of Iwakuni on the day of the shot.
Children under 13 get help for two injections, and children aged 13 to 15 for one. The nasal spray vaccine is for age 2 and up and is one dose at any age. The city asks you to choose between the injection and the nasal spray with your regular doctor.
Go to a clinic under contract with the city. Bring an ID with your child’s address, name and date of birth (a My Number card, the health insurance eligibility certificate, or the child medical expense certificate), the Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳), and hand in the city’s application and proxy form, which the clinic has. You then pay the amount after the subsidy at the counter. The form can also be printed from the city page (Iwakuni City: children’s flu vaccination subsidy, fiscal 2026 (Japanese)). This guide does not cover Iwakuni’s flu shot for older adults; ask the health center below.
| Office | Health Promotion Division, Iwakuni City Health Center 健康推進課 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 0827-24-3751 |
| Address | 3-1-11 Muronoki-machi, Iwakuni 岩国市室の木町3丁目1-11 |
Shingles shots in Yamaguchi: ¥2,660 or ¥6,620 per dose until March 31
If you turn 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 or 100 in fiscal 2026, the routine shingles shot costs ¥2,660 for the live vaccine or ¥6,620 per dose for the two-dose recombinant vaccine in all five cities, until March 31, 2027. It is free for people on public assistance. Fiscal 2026 runs from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027; the 65 group, for example, was born from April 2, 1961 to April 1, 1962, and the city pages have tables of birth dates for each age. The routine shot also covers people aged 60 to 64 with a grade 1 level disability of immune function from HIV (Shimonoseki). Ages 70 to 100 are a five-year measure from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2029. Shimonoseki, Ube and Iwakuni say this year’s group can get the routine shot only in fiscal 2026; from April 1, 2027 you pay the full price.
The live vaccine is one shot. The recombinant vaccine is two shots, usually at least two months apart, and both must be given by March 31, 2027 to count. Shimonoseki recommends the first dose by early January 2027, and Shunan by the end of January 2027. You choose the vaccine with your doctor.
| City | Postcard and clinics | City’s own subsidy, younger ages |
|---|---|---|
| Shimonoseki | The postcard is only a notice; not needed | No |
| Yamaguchi City | The postcard is only a notice | Ages 50 to 64: city pays ¥4,000, or ¥10,000 per dose, city clinics only |
| Ube | The postcard (not needed at 60 to 64) | No |
| Shunan | The voucher postcard (受診券) | 50+ with a doctor’s finding |
| Iwakuni | Clinics under contract with the city | Ages 50, 55 and 60 |
City pages (Japanese): Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi City and its help for ages 50 to 64, Ube, Shunan, Iwakuni and its help at 50, 55 and 60.
Getting the shot outside your city or outside Yamaguchi Prefecture
From October you can get the flu shot at clinics in Yamaguchi Prefecture outside your own city, but Shunan residents should ask the city first.
- Shimonoseki points to Yamaguchi Medical Association member clinics, and Yamaguchi City to listed clinics in the prefecture. Shunan says other clinics in the prefecture may not have its questionnaire, so call the Health Promotion Division before you go (Shunan City: how to get vaccinated (Japanese)). Ube provides its forms to clinics under the prefecture-wide vaccination contract (山口県広域予防接種委託契約).
- Outside Yamaguchi Prefecture, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi City and Ube all need an application or request letter before the shot. Shimonoseki’s letter takes about two weeks.
- For children, Iwakuni pays part of the cost. Yamaguchi City and Ube list flu shots for people outside the routine group as voluntary shots, at your full cost.
If your child has a fever at night or on a holiday, see child sick at night in Yamaguchi for the phone lines and night clinics in each city.
Questions about flu shots in Yamaguchi
Can I get the flu shot and the COVID-19 shot on the same day?
Yamaguchi City says you can, and that there is no required gap between the flu shot and other vaccines. Shunan says a same-day shot is possible when a doctor finds it especially necessary. Ask the doctor who gives the shot.
I am 60 to 64 and do not have a disability certificate. What then?
Yamaguchi City and Ube accept a doctor’s certificate of a grade 1 level disability (in Yamaguchi City you pay for the certificate). Shimonoseki says you may qualify if your application is pending and a doctor finds a grade 1 level disability, and suggests talking to your regular doctor.
Can I get a second flu shot at the subsidized price?
No. In all four cities the city pays for one shot in the period. Shimonoseki says you pay the full cost of a second shot.
Sources (checked October 2026)
6 pages we checked
- Shimonoseki City: flu vaccination for older adults, fiscal 2026, early start (press release, September 16, 2026), shingles
- Yamaguchi City: flu vaccination for older adults, fiscal 2026, shingles, shingles help for ages 50 to 64
- Ube City: flu vaccination, shingles
- Shunan City: flu vaccination for older adults, fiscal 2026, how to get vaccinated, shingles
- Iwakuni City: children’s flu vaccination subsidy, fiscal 2026, shingles, shingles help at 50, 55 and 60
- Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Basic Resident Registration System for foreign residents (English)
All pages above are in Japanese except the Ministry page.
