Child care in Japan - statistics & facts
Parents in Japan can choose from five types of facilities for the care support of children under school age: kindergartens, day care centers, integrated centers for early childhood education and care, community-based care facilities, and uncertified care facilities. Kindergartens in Japan are part of educational facilities and established under the authority of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Kindergartens focus on teaching children subjects such as language and sports to prepare them for elementary school. Day care centers are welfare facilities regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). The centers provide care and assistance for children’s daily lives.
In addition to those facilities, the Cabinet Office introduced integrated centers for early childhood education and care in 2006 that offer combined programs of education and care. The Cabinet Office also launched community-based care facilities in 2015 as one of the measures to improve the nation’s support system for child care. Care services for small-sized groups of less than 20 children, babysitting services, and care services within business establishments, for example, are categorized as community-based facilities. There are also private uncertified facilities that do not fall under the categories of governmental-run facilities. These businesses offer services such as overnight care services and temporary short-time care services.
Facility fees became mostly free of charge from 2019 following the system reform, excluding expenses for food, special events, and transportation. Fees for children aged three to five are primarily free at all types of facilities that are certified under the new system. Fees for children until two years are free for households with low annual income. As of 2021, the highest number of children in Japan were enrolled at day care centers, followed by those at kindergartens. The enrollment number at facilities with other business models has continued to grow in recent years, indicating the diversifying needs of parents.
Additionally, the lack of a support system for full-time employed parents is constantly under discussion. The Japanese society still considers that child care is ultimately a women’s responsibility, and parental leave for fathers, for example, is still not customary at workplaces. As Japan needs to rely on women to delay its shrinking labor force, the promotion of active engagement of men in child care will resume being one of the focal points of the Japanese government.
Enrollment and fees
To enroll their children in government-licensed facilities under the new support system implemented in 2015, parents must provide documents such as employment certificates or medical certificates to municipalities. The level of need for child-rearing support is then assessed on a case-by-case basis. Parents categorized as level one can apply for kindergartens and integrated centers for education and care, which allows them to leave their children aged three to five for four hours per weekday. Level two and three parents are eligible to leave their children at the facilities offering care for a maximum of eight to 11 hours a weekday, level two being for children aged three to five, and level three for those aged zero to two.Facility fees became mostly free of charge from 2019 following the system reform, excluding expenses for food, special events, and transportation. Fees for children aged three to five are primarily free at all types of facilities that are certified under the new system. Fees for children until two years are free for households with low annual income. As of 2021, the highest number of children in Japan were enrolled at day care centers, followed by those at kindergartens. The enrollment number at facilities with other business models has continued to grow in recent years, indicating the diversifying needs of parents.
Insufficient support for parents
Despite the decreasing number of children in the nation, the most often raised issue of Japan’s child care system has been the inadequate number of available spots at care facilities and the scarce number of care workers. A rapidly growing number of double-income households combined with tough working conditions for care staff have been viewed as the main causes of this trend. With the system reform, however, the number of children on the waiting lists of care facilities has been reduced overall, from over 26 thousand in 2017 to 5.6 thousand in 2021. Still, further progress in the availability of the facilities is in demand, especially for parents with infants and those in metropolitan areas as well as underpopulated regions.Additionally, the lack of a support system for full-time employed parents is constantly under discussion. The Japanese society still considers that child care is ultimately a women’s responsibility, and parental leave for fathers, for example, is still not customary at workplaces. As Japan needs to rely on women to delay its shrinking labor force, the promotion of active engagement of men in child care will resume being one of the focal points of the Japanese government.
