Children’s medical costs in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town: the medical subsidy

This page is general information from official sources. It is not medical or financial advice. For your own case, ask the office named in each section: a ward office in Kumamoto City, or the town office in Kikuyo Town or Ozu Town.

If your child sees a doctor in Kumamoto, the city or town where you live pays most or all of your share of the bill, up to high-school age. To get this, you need a card from your city or town office. This page explains how the children’s medical subsidy (子ども医療費助成, kodomo iryohi josei) works in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town.

In short

All three cover children from birth until March 31 after their 18th birthday, if the child is registered as a resident there and has health insurance (section 1).
Apply for the card after a birth or after you move in. All three accept some applications online (sections 2 to 4).
Show the card with your child’s health insurance at clinics in Kumamoto Prefecture. Outside the prefecture, you pay first and claim the money back (sections 2.3, 3.2 and 4.2).
The card stops when you move out of that city or town. Apply again where you move to (section 6).

Checked with official pages on September 27, 2026.

	Kumamoto City	Kikuyo Town	Ozu Town
Card	Himawari Card (ひまわりカード)	Hikarikko Card (陽っ子カード)	Children’s medical card (こども医療費受給者証), yellow-green
Outpatient care	Free under age 3 (dental: under 5). Otherwise up to ¥700 or ¥1,200 a month at each clinic (section 2.2)	Free at the counter. Over ¥20,000 in a month: pay, then claim	Free at the counter
Hospital stay	Free at the counter (National Health Insurance: ¥21,000 or more in a month, pay, then claim)	Pay, then claim	Pay, then claim
Where to apply	Health and Children Section of a ward office, a general branch office, or online	Health and Insurance Section, Western Branch Office, or online	Health Insurance Section, or online

The amounts in the table are for clinics, hospitals and pharmacies in Kumamoto Prefecture.

1. Who can get the subsidy?

Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town

The three pages set the same three conditions:

the child is from birth up to March 31 after their 18th birthday (the end of the third year of high school);
the child has a resident record (住民票, juminhyo) in that city or town;
the child is in a health insurance plan.

Kikuyo Town adds that for a child whose 18th birthday is April 1, cover ends on the March 31 just before.

The pages do not mention nationality. Kumamoto City and Ozu Town say the child does not need to be a student. Ozu Town also says the parent can live outside the town if the child’s address is in Ozu. If your child is not in a health insurance plan yet, start with National Health Insurance after you move.

2. Kumamoto City: the Himawari Card

2.1 How do I get the card?

Kumamoto City

Have your child’s health insurance details ready. The city accepts a My Number Card used as a health insurance card, an eligibility certificate (資格確認書, shikaku kakuninsho) or a notice of insurance information (資格情報のお知らせ). It must show the insurer number, insurer name, insured person’s name and start date.
Apply at a ward office or online. The counter is the Health and Children Section (保健こども課, hoken kodomo ka) of any ward office, or a general branch office (総合出張所). Online forms need a user registration first.
Answer the phone if the city calls. For online applications, the city’s administrative center (096-328-6970) may call you to check details.

Tip

Kumamoto City recommends online applications for new cards and changes, because counters are very busy in March and April. Since the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake, ward offices have fewer counters and staff open, and procedures take longer. The city asks you to come another day if it is not urgent. Since February 2, 2026, ward office counters are open from 9:00 to 16:30.

Phone numbers for each ward’s Health and Children Section are on the city’s page (in Japanese). For the ward offices themselves, see Where to register your address.

2.2 What do I pay at the clinic?

Kumamoto City

Show the Himawari Card and your child’s health insurance at a clinic, hospital or pharmacy in Kumamoto Prefecture. For care from December 1, 2023, Kumamoto City sets these amounts:

Hospital stays and pharmacies: you pay nothing, at any age. Medicine handed out inside a clinic (院内処方) is not part of the free pharmacy rule.
Outpatient medical care: nothing under age 3; up to ¥700 a month from age 3 to the end of elementary school; up to ¥1,200 a month for junior high and high school ages.
Outpatient dental care: nothing under age 5; up to ¥700 a month from age 5 to the end of elementary school; up to ¥1,200 a month for junior high and high school ages.

These amounts are per clinic, per month. If your share at one clinic in a month is ¥700 (or ¥1,200) or less, there is nothing to claim back. The Himawari Card cannot be used together with the city’s single-parent or disability medical subsidies.

2.3 When do I claim money back?

Kumamoto City

If your child is in National Health Insurance (国民健康保険) and the share for a hospital stay or for outpatient care is ¥21,000 or more in a month, you pay first and then claim. The same applies to medical devices such as braces that your insurer approved, and, for National Health Insurance, to care under other public medical programs.

If you paid without using the card, for example at a clinic outside Kumamoto Prefecture, you can claim the money back at a Health and Children Section or a general branch office. Claim within 12 months, counting from the month after the treatment. You cannot claim in the same month. Bring the receipts, the Himawari Card, your child’s health insurance details, and a bankbook or cash card of the person named on the card. To claim by post, phone your ward’s Health and Children Section first.

3. Kikuyo Town: the Hikarikko Card

3.1 How do I get the card?

Kikuyo Town

Fill in the application form. It is on the town’s page (in Japanese).
Bring your child’s health insurance card or eligibility certificate, a bankbook or cash card in the parent’s name, and a personal seal (印鑑, inkan). A simple seal is fine.
Apply at the Health and Insurance Section (健康・保険課) or the Western Branch Office (西部支所) in Caroppia. At the counter, the card is usually issued the same day.

You can also apply online if the parent has a My Number Card. The town says the card then takes about one week to arrive by post.

3.2 What do I pay, and when do I claim?

Kikuyo Town

At a clinic in Kumamoto Prefecture, show the card with your child’s health insurance, and you pay nothing for care covered by health insurance. You pay first and then apply to the town for a hospital stay, for outpatient costs over ¥20,000 in a month, at a clinic that does not accept the card, outside Kumamoto Prefecture, and if you did not show the card. Claim for each month after that month ends. Bring the original receipts that show the insurance points (保険点数), the card and a personal seal (not a Shachihata stamp).

The Health and Insurance Section is on the first floor of the main building of Kikuyo Town Office, 2800 Oaza Kubota, Kikuyo Town (Google Maps). The town office is open on weekdays from 8:30 to 17:15. Phone: 096-232-4912.

4. Ozu Town: the children’s medical card

4.1 How do I get the card?

Ozu Town

Have your child’s health insurance details ready, such as the notice of insurance information.
Have a bankbook for the parent who will receive the subsidy.
Apply at the Health Insurance Section (健康保険課) of the town office, or online. Online, you attach a photo of the insurance details and enter the bank account details.

Ozu Town says that when you apply online, the card arrives at your child’s registered address in about one to two weeks.

4.2 What do I pay, and when do I claim?

Ozu Town

For outpatient care at a clinic in Kumamoto Prefecture, show the card with your child’s health insurance, and you pay nothing for care covered by health insurance. You pay first and claim for a hospital stay, for care outside Kumamoto Prefecture, and when you did not show the card. Claim within one year, counting from the month of the treatment. Claims cannot be made online; go to the Health Insurance Section with the receipts, the card and your child’s health insurance details.

The Health Insurance Section is in Ozu Town Office, 1233 Oaza Ozu, Ozu Town (Google Maps). The town office is open on weekdays from 8:30 to 17:15. Phone: 096-293-3114.

5. What does the subsidy not cover?

Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town

The subsidy pays only your share of care covered by health insurance. All three pages list costs outside health insurance as not covered, such as health checkups, vaccinations, and meals during a hospital stay. All three also list the extra charge for a private room, and Kumamoto City and Ozu Town list diapers.

Important

If your child is hurt at school or at a nursery, the Japan Sport Council (日本スポーツ振興センター) may pay instead. Ask the school or nursery. In Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town, those cases are not covered by the subsidy. In Kumamoto City, you can claim from the Himawari Card only if the Japan Sport Council refused.

If your health insurance pays back part of a bill, for example through the high-cost medical care benefit (高額療養費) or an extra benefit from your insurer, the city or town takes this into account. Bring the notice of that payment when you claim.

6. What if we move?

Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town

The card stops when you move out of that city or town. In Kumamoto City, return it or destroy it. In Kikuyo Town, return it. In Ozu Town, take it to the Health Insurance Section; this cannot be done online. If you use it after moving, you may have to pay the money back. Apply again at your new city or town. In Kumamoto City, you do not need to report a move within the city. In Kikuyo Town, report a move within the town.

Also report to your office when your child’s health insurance changes, for example when you change jobs.

7. Common questions

My child’s health insurance changed. What do I do?

All three ask you to report it. Kumamoto City and Ozu Town accept the change online. Kikuyo Town accepts changes of insurance and bank account online. In Ozu Town, if only the insurance or bank account changes, you keep using the same card.

I lost the card. Can I get a new one?

Kumamoto City has an online form for a new card. Kikuyo Town asks for a form and the parent’s ID, or an online application if you have a My Number Card. Ozu Town’s page does not say; ask the Health Insurance Section.

My 17-year-old is not at school. Is my child still covered?

In Kumamoto City and Ozu Town, yes. Kumamoto City says children who are not students are also covered, and Ozu Town says children who work are covered, until March 31 after their 18th birthday. Kikuyo Town’s page does not say; ask the Health and Insurance Section.

We lost our health insurance card when we evacuated after the earthquake. Can my child still see a doctor?

Ozu Town’s notice of July 29, 2026 says that people affected by the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake who lost their insurance documents, or left them at home when they evacuated, can still see a doctor. Give the clinic your name, date of birth, phone number and address.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) says that until the end of November 2026, people living in areas covered by the Disaster Relief Act may not have to pay at the counter, for example if their home was badly damaged or the main earner lost their job or income. Tell the clinic. Whether this applies depends on your health insurer, so ask your insurer.

Next steps

Children’s medical costs in Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town: the medical subsidy

1. Who can get the subsidy?