Flu and Shingles Shot Subsidies for Seniors in Hiroshima 2026–27: Fees and Free Shots in 4 Cities

This page is general information from official city pages. It is not medical advice. For your own case, ask your doctor and your city office.

For residents of Hiroshima City, Fukuyama, Kure and Higashihiroshima aged 65 and older on the day of the shot, a city-subsidized flu shot costs ¥1,400 in Kure, ¥1,500 in Higashihiroshima and ¥1,600 in Hiroshima City and Fukuyama, and for those turning 65, 70, 75 and so on in fiscal 2026 the shingles shot costs ¥2,600–¥4,900 (live vaccine) or ¥7,000–¥18,100 per dose (recombinant vaccine). Some people aged 60 to 64 with a disability are also covered (see who is covered). Both shots are free in all four cities for households on public assistance and for tax-exempt households (in Hiroshima City, households exempt from the income-based part of city resident tax), but you must show proof before the shot. This guide compares the 2026–27 fees, periods and steps in Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Kure and Higashihiroshima.

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Flu and shingles shot fees in Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Kure and Higashihiroshima

Tap a city to jump to its section. You book directly with a clinic on your city’s list; there is no city vaccination site.

City	Flu shot	Flu period
Hiroshima City	¥1,600	Oct 1–Jan 31
Fukuyama	¥1,600	Oct 1–Jan 31
Kure	¥1,400	Sep 28–Jan 31
Higashi­hiroshima	¥1,500	Sep 16–Jan 31

City	Shingles, live (1 dose)	Shingles, recombinant (per dose, 2 doses)
Hiroshima City	¥4,900	¥18,100
Fukuyama	¥3,100	¥7,800
Kure	¥3,000	¥7,000
Higashi­hiroshima	¥2,600	¥7,000

The shingles period is April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 in all four cities. Two recombinant doses come to ¥36,200 in Hiroshima City, ¥15,600 in Fukuyama and ¥14,000 in Kure and Higashihiroshima, so Hiroshima City costs more than twice the other three. A shot outside the period, a second flu shot, or a shot for someone not in the covered ages is a voluntary vaccination at the full clinic price.

Who is covered in 2026–27

The subsidy goes to people whose resident record (住民票, juminhyo) is in that city. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, foreign nationals staying more than three months who have moved into a city are on its resident register (Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents, English).

The flu subsidy covers people who are 65 or older on the day of the shot, once in the period. People aged 60 to 64 with a disability of heart, kidney or lung function, or of immune function from HIV, at about grade 1 on the physical disability certificate, are also covered. They bring the certificate or similar proof.

The shingles subsidy covers people who turn these ages in fiscal 2026 (April 2026 to March 2027):

• 65: born April 2, 1961 to April 1, 1962
• 70: born April 2, 1956 to April 1, 1957
• 75: born April 2, 1951 to April 1, 1952
• 80: born April 2, 1946 to April 1, 1947
• 85: born April 2, 1941 to April 1, 1942
• 90: born April 2, 1936 to April 1, 1937
• 95: born April 2, 1931 to April 1, 1932
• 100: born April 2, 1926 to April 1, 1927

The ages 70 to 100 are a five-year transition that runs to fiscal 2029, so everyone 65 and older gets one covered year in that time. Higashihiroshima says people who missed fiscal 2025 cannot get the routine shot five years later, and Fukuyama says people over 100 were covered only in fiscal 2025. From fiscal 2030, people who are 65 at the time of the shot are planned to be covered (Hiroshima City). People aged 60 to 64 with an HIV immune disability at about grade 1 are also covered.

Shingles vaccine in Hiroshima: live or recombinant?

The live vaccine (Biken) is one shot under the skin. The recombinant vaccine (Shingrix) is two shots into the muscle, at least two months apart. You cannot switch to the other type partway through. People whose immune system is weak because of illness or treatment cannot have the live vaccine; the recombinant vaccine can be given whatever the immune state, and the gap can be shortened to one month if a doctor judges early vaccination necessary (Higashihiroshima).

Kure says the two types differ in schedule, method, effect, how long the effect lasts and side effects. For the live vaccine, people who had a blood transfusion or gamma globulin wait at least 3 months (6 months after high-dose gamma globulin therapy). For the recombinant vaccine, which is injected into the muscle, people with low platelets, a clotting disorder or on blood thinners need care (Kure, Higashihiroshima). Clinics do not all stock both types (Fukuyama), so ask which type the clinic has when you book, and decide with the doctor.

Hiroshima City: flu ¥1,600, shingles ¥4,900 or ¥18,100

Hiroshima City’s flu shot is ¥1,600 from Thursday, October 1, 2026 to Sunday, January 31, 2027, at clinics in Hiroshima City and Aki District. The city announced the start of the flu season on September 2, 2026, and moved the start forward from the usual mid-October. It advises finishing the shot by mid-December. Hiroshima City flu season press release, September 2, 2026 (Japanese)

For shingles, the city mailed a vaccination ticket and questionnaire in late May. Bring them with ID showing your address, name and age (a My Number Card or driver’s license) and the fee, and ask the clinic first whether you need to book. If you already had part of the course as a voluntary shot, the rest counts as a routine shot.

Both shots are free for households on public assistance and households where no one pays the income-based part of city resident tax, if you show proof at the shot. Proof includes the public assistance certificate for night and holiday visits, a tax certificate for everyone in the household, the long-term care insurance notice mailed in August 2026 (income levels 1 to 3), or a late-elderly medical certificate marked 区Ⅰ or 区Ⅱ. With a My Number health insurance card, the clinic may be able to check online; ask at the desk. The city does not refund a fee already paid. For a clinic elsewhere in the prefecture (outside Aki District), get a wide-area ticket at your ward health center first; it can take time to issue.

Flu	¥1,600, October 1–January 31
Shingles	Live ¥4,900, recombinant ¥18,100 per dose, to March 31
Free shots	Show proof at the shot
Outside the city	Aki District clinics: no ticket needed. Other towns: wide-area ticket first
Phone	Ward community support section, or Health Promotion Division 082-504-2882
Official	Hiroshima City flu page / shingles page (Japanese)

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Fukuyama: flu ¥1,600, shingles ¥3,100 or ¥7,800

Fukuyama’s flu shot is ¥1,600 from Thursday, October 1, 2026 to Sunday, January 31, 2027, at partner clinics in the city, and booking is needed in principle. Some clinics may stop before the end of January if they run out of vaccine.

For shingles, the fee is ¥3,100 (live) or ¥7,800 per dose (recombinant, ¥15,600 for two). Bring the vaccination record sheet that came with the notice mailed around June; if you lost it, ask the Disease Prevention Division for a new one by phone or online. People who could not have the shot in their covered year because of a long illness may get it as a special case within one year, with an advance application.

Both shots are free for households exempt from city resident tax, people on public assistance and people receiving support for Japanese left behind in China, if you show proof before the shot. For tax-exempt households, one of these is enough: the long-term care insurance notice (levels 1 to 3), a late-elderly medical certificate marked 区1 or 区2 (or an online check with a My Number health insurance card), or a resident tax exemption certificate for medical use. People on public assistance show the holiday and night consultation form. Showing proof after the shot does not cancel the fee.

For a clinic elsewhere in the prefecture, apply for a wide-area ticket before the shot; outside the prefecture, apply for a request letter. Apply by mail or online; it takes about 10 days to 2 weeks. Outside the prefecture you pay the full price and claim money back up to the city’s limit.

Flu	¥1,600, October 1–January 31
Shingles	Live ¥3,100, recombinant ¥7,800 per dose, to March 31
Free shots	Show proof before the shot
Outside the city	Wide-area ticket (prefecture) or request letter (outside), 10 days to 2 weeks
Phone	Disease Prevention Division 084-928-1127
Official	Fukuyama flu page / shingles page (Japanese)

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Kure: flu ¥1,400, shingles ¥3,000 or ¥7,000

Kure’s flu shot is ¥1,400 from Monday, September 28, 2026 to Sunday, January 31, 2027, and the city does not mail a flu ticket. If your household pays resident tax, book a clinic and go. The city moved the start forward from the date in its newsletter because of the flu season.

For shingles, the fee is ¥3,000 (live) or ¥7,000 per dose (recombinant, ¥14,000 for two). The city mailed a shingles ticket around June. Book a partner clinic and bring the ticket, your health insurance card or My Number health insurance card, and your health notebook if you have one. Kure asks you to have the first recombinant dose by January 31, because the course takes two months. If you have had a shingles vaccine before, you may not be covered even if a ticket came; bring your vaccination record and ask the doctor.

Both shots are free for households exempt from city resident tax and households on public assistance. For a free shingles shot, apply first: fill in the free-ticket form that came with the ticket and send it with the ¥3,000 and ¥7,000 tickets to the Community Health Division (Sukoyaka Center Kure, 5th floor); a free ticket is mailed after the tax check. For a free flu shot, show the Kure free flu ticket, or proof such as a late-elderly medical certificate marked 区1 or 区2, before the shot. The free flu ticket is issued the same day at the Community Health Division, the East Health Center or a health branch office; at the Citizen Services Division and citizen centers it is mailed later. The free ticket must be the original, and other papers can be copies. Kure does not refund fees after the shot. For a clinic outside Kure, call the Community Health Division first; mailed papers take about two weeks.

Flu	¥1,400, September 28–January 31
Shingles	Live ¥3,000, recombinant ¥7,000 per dose, to March 31
Free shots	Free ticket or proof before the shot (shingles: apply first)
Outside the city	Call first; about 2 weeks by mail
Phone	Community Health Division 0823-25-3525
Official	Kure flu page / shingles page (Japanese)

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Higashihiroshima: flu ¥1,500 from September 16, shingles ¥2,600 or ¥7,000

Higashihiroshima’s flu shot is ¥1,500 from September 16, 2026 to January 31, 2027, but clinics outside the city start on October 1. The October city newsletter and the postcard mailed in early October still say October 1. Some clinics in the city do not give the shot in September. Book with the clinic by phone or another way.

For shingles, the fee is ¥2,600 (live) or ¥7,000 per dose (recombinant, two doses). The city mailed a notice postcard on March 30, 2026; always bring it. If you had one recombinant dose before, only the second dose is subsidized.

Both shots are free for households exempt from city and prefectural resident tax, people on public assistance and people receiving support for Japanese left behind in China. Tax-exempt households apply in advance for a free certificate and show it at the clinic. Apply online (it comes by mail), at the Medical and Health Division, a branch or a sub-branch office with ID such as a My Number Card, or by mail; fax is not accepted. In September and October, online requests can take about two weeks, so the city suggests a counter if you are in a hurry. People on public assistance or the support payment show proof that they receive it.

At clinics in the prefecture’s wide-area program, the price is the same as in the city, but you need a wide-area ticket first. Outside the prefecture, pay the full price and apply for money back within 40 days (flu).

Flu	¥1,500, September 16–January 31 (clinics outside the city from October 1)
Shingles	Live ¥2,600, recombinant ¥7,000 per dose, to March 31
Free shots	Apply for a free certificate before the shot
Outside the city	Wide-area ticket first
Phone	Medical and Health Division 082-420-0936
Official	Higashihiroshima flu page / shingles page (Japanese)

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What differs between the four cities in Hiroshima

For a clinic in another town in Hiroshima Prefecture, all four cities use the prefecture’s wide-area program, and you need a wide-area ticket before the shot. Hiroshima City residents do not need one at clinics in the four Aki District towns.

• Flu start dates differ: Higashihiroshima September 16, Kure September 28, Hiroshima and Fukuyama October 1. Using a neighboring city’s date can mean a shot on a day that is not covered.
• The free-shot steps differ. Hiroshima City and Fukuyama accept the care insurance notice or the late-elderly medical certificate at the clinic; Kure uses a free ticket (and other proof for flu); Higashihiroshima asks you to apply for a free certificate.
• Shingles notices came at different times: Higashihiroshima on March 30, Hiroshima City in late May, Fukuyama and Kure around June. Bring the ticket or notice, and tell the city soon if you lost it.
• Bring ID showing your address, name and age, plus any free-shot proof. The city pages are in Japanese and do not say whether English help is available; ask your city office before you go if you need it.

Common questions about flu and shingles shots in Hiroshima

Is a flu shot in September covered?

In Higashihiroshima from September 16 (at clinics in the city only), and in Kure from September 28. In Hiroshima City and Fukuyama the subsidy starts on October 1, so an earlier shot is voluntary.

I am 66. Can I get a subsidized shingles shot?

Not this year. Hiroshima City, Fukuyama and Higashihiroshima say a shot for someone not in the covered ages is voluntary at the full price, and Hiroshima City says the price differs by clinic.

I have had shingles before. Can I still have the vaccine?

Yes, according to Fukuyama and Higashihiroshima. Higashihiroshima says shingles can come back two or three times and asks you to talk with a doctor.

I already had a voluntary shingles shot. Am I covered?

In principle no, but a doctor can decide another shot is needed (Hiroshima City, Fukuyama). If you had only the first recombinant dose, the rest can be a routine shot (Hiroshima City, Higashihiroshima).

Sources (checked October 2026)

5 pages we checkedShow

• Hiroshima City: routine flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, flu season press release (September 2, 2026) and routine shingles vaccination (Japanese)
• Fukuyama: flu vaccination for older people and shingles vaccination for older people (Japanese)
• Kure: flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, fiscal 2026 and shingles vaccination, fiscal 2026 (Japanese)
• Higashihiroshima: flu vaccination for older people and shingles and the shingles vaccine (Japanese)
• Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications: Basic Resident Registration System for Foreign Residents (English)