Tokyo to make child care free for all 2nd children from Oct. 2023

 https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230113/p2g/00m/0na/028000c

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January 13, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike explains new measures to tackle the low birthrate in Tokyo, on Jan. 12, 2023. (Photo courtesy of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government/Kyodo)

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Tokyo Metropolitan government said Thursday it plans to make child care services free for all second-born children living in the capital starting October 2023, as part of an effort to address the rapidly falling birthrate in Japan.

 

The measure will be applicable for those aged zero to two years without setting conditions, such as being within a certain household income bracket, as the local government aims to provide an incentive for families to have more than one child.

 

The Tokyo government will also provide subsidies for healthy women wishing to freeze their eggs for future pregnancies, on the condition that they participate in a study looking into their age and motives for doing so.

 

Tokyo's latest decision to make child care services free will serve as a supplement to a similar central government program that sets eligibility requirements, such as being at a particular income level, for households to become eligible for subsidies.

 

With around 50,000 children set to be eligible under Tokyo's new plan, the metropolitan government will set aside 11 billion yen ($85 million) for the initial fiscal 2023 budget starting April.

 

"It should essentially be a state project, but there is not a moment to waste," said Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. "We will implement bold measures with the resolve to stop the falling birthrate, starting from Tokyo."

 

The move comes after the metropolitan government announced a plan last week to provide families in the capital with a monthly allowance of around 5,000 yen per child aged through 18 regardless of household income level.

 

As the government plans to additionally book 126 billion yen for the allowance program, its budget for child care-related measures will total 1.6 trillion yen for the next fiscal year, up some 200 billion yen from the current year.

 

Expenses for egg-freezing, which will also cover financial aid for companies that put a paid leave system in place, will amount to 170 million yen. The government already subsidizes egg-freezing costs for cancer patients.

 

The number of babies born in Japan in 2022 is likely to have fallen below 800,000 for the first time since the government started compiling statistics on births in 1899, dropping to a record low for the seventh straight year.