Health insurance payments when not in the country?

I’m here on a working holiday, which is going great. However, I have to head back to my home country for a bit before returning. During that period, I won’t have an address in Japan. I’ve already submitted my moving out notification.

My question is how this will work with my health insurance payments? Do I need to pay during the period I’m not here and don’t have a Japanese address? My ward office wasn’t sure. My worry is that not paying will affect my future residency options in Japan, if I ever end up staying long-term.

Edit: I should add that the circumstances mean I don’t know exactly when I’ll return. It’s complicated, and there’s a chance I might not come back. Otherwise, I’d just pay the period of absence in advance to be safe.