Japan begins day care system regardless of parental employment status

From Kyodo

April 1 2026

TOKYO – Japan began implementing a public system on Wednesday that allows children to attend day care for up to 10 hours per month, regardless of parental employment status, as part of a larger initiative to alleviate child care stress as the number of births continues to decline.

The system targets children aged 6 months to under 3 years who were previously ineligible for day care services at authorized child care facilities if a parent was unemployed. According to a government agency, about 60 percent of children in this age bracket were not enrolled in such facilities in fiscal 2023.

The program is available to households with stay-at-home parents or parents on child care leave. Each facility can set its own fees, with a guideline of around 300 yen (about $1.89) per hour. Usage is limited to 10 hours per month per child.

Children will be cared for at authorized day care centers and kindergartens. Those with disabilities will also be accepted.

Parents who wish to use the program can apply through their municipality or the program’s website, and after finding a suitable facility, they must submit a request.

The Children and Families Agency expects the program to promote children’s development by enabling them to interact with people outside their families. The program will also reduce the child care burden on parents and prevent social isolation.

The program was implemented on an experimental basis in some municipalities beginning in fiscal 2024. By December 2025, 231 municipalities had adopted it.

Conversely, there is a chronic shortage of on-site staff, including nursery workers, raising concerns that the workload could increase.

A transitional measure has been put in place until fiscal 2027 to help municipalities that may struggle to secure facilities and nursery staff. Under the measure, they can set the usage limit between three and 10 hours per month.

Thirty-six municipalities across 18 prefectures plan to set the limit below 10 hours in fiscal 2026.

The government is providing operating subsidies to facilities that implement the program. In fiscal 2026, the subsidy will be 1,700 yen per hour per child under age 1 and 1,400 yen per child aged 1 to 2.

Additional payments will be provided if facilities accept children with disabilities or offer consultations to parents with child care concerns.

Half of the funding will come from public funds, while the other half will be covered by the child care support contribution, which will be collected as a surcharge on public health insurance premiums starting in fiscal 2026.