While many developed countries are facing low birth rates, Japan’s situation is especially dire, with the population steadily declining for years.
Japan Today reported how Tokyo is set to make daycare free for all preschool children starting next September, as part of efforts to overcome Japan’s low birthrate.
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“The declining child population isn’t going away”
This move is aimed at easing the financial load on families by extending the free daycare policy, which previously only covered second-born and later children, to first-borns as well.
The decision came after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike pointed out that Japan is in the middle of a crisis with its shrinking child population and that there’s no time to waste in addressing it.
Japanese media said that the policy in Tokyo, one of the world’s biggest cities with a population of 14 million, is the first place in the country to try out this new policy at the local level.
Tokyo governor yuriko koike
They want to make the policy available to all households
Public daycare is already available to working parents, but the national government wants to make it accessible to all households.
Koike also mentioned earlier this month that she plans to introduce a four-day workweek option for government workers in Tokyo as part of a nationwide push to encourage more people to have kids.
Koike, who’s been governing Tokyo since 2016, promises to boost social welfare benefits while recognising the challenges residents face, like inflation.
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