Tokyo to make daycare free to boost birthrate

This is a nice benefit, but how many Tokyoites are refraining from having children because of first-born daycare costs?

Daycare costs never factored into my choice to have my first child, and then my second, and then my third — all of whom went to public daycare inside Tokyo.

Tokyo to make daycare free to boost birthrate

Japan not only Tokyo need to make daycare free and accessible. Not only that Japan need to do this many years ago! Where's Japanese tax payer money go? Why not being allocated to daycare, soo enough?

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/08/30/japan/society/nursery-waiting-lists/

https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/papers/contribution/unayama/03.html

It’s all well and good to make daycare free but what about the 50% of kids that can’t get into a daycare because there aren’t enough vacancies?

let people leave work before 9pm and you will see the birthrate skyrocket

Lindsay:

.... what about the 50% of kids that can’t get into a daycare because there aren’t enough vacancies?

I don't where/when you got that number, but the issue was already resolved during Koike's first term after 2016.

Great idea but it’s not going to happen

A small step (Tokyo only, where you have the lowest fertility rate and highest revenues LOL) which will change the mind of hardly a few couples, a drop in the ocean.

Favor love, sex and parties.

I have a friend who went to a nightclub in Tokyo and got his new girlfriend pregnant that night he mzt her (they stayed a while together). That is also how it works. We are not machines.

My first was not planned but so happy it happened when I was 26

That does help parents but it isn't going to encourage anyone to conceive a child.

FINALLY a very reasonable idea which hopefully will help the birth rate. Past ideas seemed so useless. Like giving money to families with kids in HS. Families need the support more in the beginning I feel where it has a quick & useful impact. See what happens.

Lindsay: In the competitive market where the projected number of children taken up spaces is declining quickly is not a market you want to compete in. Now the Government is financing all future spaces in child day care. You will see more centres opening because you can now go to the government with a business plan and if pass will be guaranteed a certain start off number until filled. This in turn will guarantee spaces for early care placements for future educators. You not going to opt to train in early child care when there is no future position guaranteed. Now there will be.

I have a friend who went to a nightclub in Tokyo and got his new girlfriend pregnant that night he mzt her

Classy girl. I’m sure their marriage will be a bedrock of stability for raising the child.

it’s not just a japan thing, world birthrate is falling.

https://thefertilityhub.com/wp-content/uploads/birth-rate.jpg

Finally a politician going in the right direction. Next is high school and university!

"Wonderful! So when I finally find a spare hour in the day after getting up at 5 AM, leaving the office at 10:30 PM, going out for the obligatory "come drinking if you want to even think about a promotion" event, getting home at around 1 AM and being in no condition to even get it up, daycare is free!" said one company employee on condition of anonymity.

Also When money is thrown at a problem it can cause overlooking or lack on protocols. I hope current venting is still viciously carried out or made more rigorous concerning future educators. Because this will see these type more confidence in pass venting due to mounting candidates slowing up venting system.

Tokyo to make daycare free to boost birthrate

at the same time, boost the pay for daycare workers.

Has anyone seen the pay rates they get?

It's criminal, compared to the amount of fees being paid for such services.

LDP lawmakers who do absolutely nothing get paid ungodly amounts of money, vs these daycare workers who get paid in magic beans, do tremendously difficult work all day!

Yes and no on this. Yes, that it's a good idea for afforability on parents. No, because I feel sorry for the kids being left to government supported babysitters. How about a solution like using that tax payer money for parental allowance for allowing one parent to stay home and care for their kids instead of giving that money for day care. For single parents, I would suggest allowing employers government incentives for day care on site, so that the parent can spend time with their kids during work. At least this way, the parent(s) know what's going on with their kids. Just a suggestion.

not real game changer.

I'm glad that Ms Koike is going to personally pay for all this daycare from her vast wealth. Very generous!

Shogun. Yes you are correct. But due to the lack of quality vented early child educators you are in a position of stating your own rate. A worker can negotiate a superior rate way above the awarded when in the better position. This also applies to the quality, the output (productivity) and current with today tech and OHS of the worker. I was a blue collar work that always negotiate a better pay rate than what was first offered. I see good quality early child educators are in the same position and will have position until numbers of births increase dramatically.

Is this bottom up or top down, i.e., is this what prospective parents say they want, or just a thing "I'll do something for women" politicians have decided?

Childcare in Japan is already heavily subsidized, and most people pay a very small fraction of the actual cost. Since the amount parents pay is on an income-based sliding scale, making it free saves high earners more money than low earners. I doubt it, but I hope someone will point this out when it is discussed on the news.

When asked, many young Japanese women say they want to be a stay at home mom, but this is not a political priority. I suspect that in many cases, fully paid maternity leave or UBI would be cheaper for the state than childcare, but that would not get another woman in the workforce making money for other people.

"Wonderful! So when I finally find a spare hour in the day after getting up at 5 AM, leaving the office at 10:30 PM, going out for the obligatory "come drinking if you want to even think about a promotion" event, getting home at around 1 AM and being in no condition to even get it up, daycare is free!" said one company employee on condition of anonymity.

Only to be denied a promotion because: 俺らの時代は朝まで飲んで、そのまま仕事に行った

Why is this only something that is being proposed in Tokyo? Other prefectures have on average a lower income than Tokyo and to compensate, many tend to work longer hours. These working parents need free day care too! Not to mention housing isn't all that much cheaper outside of Tokyo nowadays, excluding inaka of course.

Boost your economy increase your trade to other parts of the world not only automakers. Choose efficient business person to deal with worlds. You are very poor to deal with international business. Increase salary Decrease your debt as one of the largest debt countries on earth. Abolish your Nomikai trend with woman. Try to think out of the box. Still some creative dudes thinking are still in the cardboard box

50 years behind Scandinavian nations.

Next Free Health Care and EDUCATION from the Cradle to Grave instead of supporting WARS.

Some dudeToday  08:58 am JST

"Wonderful! So when I finally find a spare hour in the day after getting up at 5 AM, leaving the office at 10:30 PM, going out for the obligatory "come drinking if you want to even think about a promotion" event, getting home at around 1 AM and being in no condition to even get it up, 

The 1980s called. They want their calendar back

If the daycare is free, does that mean the employees are paid low wages?

This is just a band-aid measure without addressing root causes.

The birthrate won't rise until at least the following things happen, and are unlikely to for some time if ever.

Families can live reasonably comfortably from one income, leaving the other parent with enough time to raise the child/children.

The average home is big enough to accommodate four people or more without them tripping over each other.

There are tax breaks for parents with children of school age. Instead of shuffling kids off to daycare where someone else raises them, this would take financial pressure off and reduce the need for both parents to work to feed the family and have family members raise the children instead of strangers. However kind the childcare staff may be, they have to divide their time among lots of kids, whereas stay-at-home parents can give their children far more individual attention in the crucial first 3 years.

I work from home (mostly), and my wife devotes her time to looking after our son, taking him out to various play groups on weekdays, grandparents' house, letting him help out in the kitchen, etc., and he's thriving.

So Koike and the like should be looking for ways that enable parents to stay at home and look after their kids in those crucial early years instead of outsourcing the task to childcare centres.

DenTok2009Today  10:18 am JST

If the daycare is free, does that mean the employees are paid low wages?

Nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, is paying for it.

one of the world's biggest cities with a population of 14 million

And they want MORE people?

Why is this only something that is being proposed in Tokyo?

Other prefectures are welcome to do what they want. Some towns will provide it already. Ask your local politicians.

50 years behind Scandinavian nations.

Norway's birthrate is falling and is down to 1.41, where Japan's was before Covid and the post-Covid inflation. The overwhelming trend is that other countries, both Western and non-Western, are catching up with Japan's low birthrate. For years Japan has been treated as an outlier for a low birthrate and an ageing society, but everyone else has them now. In the past, this lead to all kinds of sensationalist reporting on Japan about sex robots (for low birthrate) and bionic exoskeletons and adult diapers (for ageing population). Now other countries have few kids and lots of wrinklies, such reporting on Japan has mysteriously dried up. In terms of pensions, I would be way more worried about the EU than Japan. The UK too is talking about raising the pension age to 70, hopefully after 2035 when I currently qualify. The ageing timebomb in the West is only starting to hit now.

Perhaps they should have made it free to parents everywhere BUT the biggest cities. This might just draw more people to Tokyo and continue to drain the countryside and rural communities.

Nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, is paying for it.

Better for "it" than for bombs for Ukraine

Geeter MckluskieToday  11:01 am JST

Nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, is paying for it.

Better for "it" than for bombs for Ukraine

I agree, that's not Japan's war. What I'm saying is Tokyo's taxpayers and financiers (it'd be a surprise if some of the money doesn't come from borrowings) are funding the "free" childcare.

Working women,& men ,career women&men, women &men graduates in a first world country do not want more kids. Any money saved will be used to give the fewer kids they do have more experience, to pay for July, to pay for a trip. Especially since child mortality rate is so low. If you have a 99.9% chance that your one child or two kids will reach adulthood and you can give them better opportunities, going out to dinner more often. Sorry the birth rate is not going to go up. The work force is highly educated and the politicians have only valued taxand work, and previously smaller families to free up more family spending. Being a parent has never really been valued, until now. They realize that the kids born today are the consumers for the next 70+ years that keep the economy ticking over. We only encouraged women to aspire to having a career. Now they actually want to value.being a parent. But being a parent is exhausting. Working is exhausting. Doing both at the same time is even more exhausting.

People are asking why this is being proposed only in Tokyo. One, where a capital leads the rest of that country eventually follows. And two, it was a big issue in the recent Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Rather than spend money on this how about giving mothers money to stay at home and look after their children rather than ship them out to strangers. Children these years spend more waking time from toddlers to adults with strangers rather than with their families, it’s unhealthy for the child and society in general.

Real problem is Tokyo attracts too many people from across Japan, that fuels the depopulation and aging problem as people in Tokyo have fewer kids.

Real solution viable economic diversification away from Tokyo, so people can remain in place, have more kids etc.

Keep in mind, Japan's net native population set to decrease about 1.7M/Year until about 2060, so about half today, plus about 1/3 older, from median 50 to 66.

I think that a bigger problem is that only about 60% of Japanese ever get married. What can be done to support the remaining 40% to get married? Increasing the marriage rate seems more important to me.

Agreed, harder to meet people in big cities, everyone too busy and distracted, another reason to keep people out of Tokyo, higher marriage rates.

Has anyone ever seen a happy, older, life-long single women in Tokyo? Just doesn't happen...and older life-long single Tokyo men not much happier, just richer.

Finally, older couples without kids = almost all unhappy!

TRUE source of Japan's many happiness and economic problems = Lack of Marriages & Kids. Turns out being 'free' of responsibility isn't so fun or rewarding for MOST.

Nah! Just give us parents ¥100,000 per kid monthly. And tax childless-by-choice couples at a 60% rate and see how quickly people will start to reproduce. I wouldn't mind some beer money. Also make it available only to citizens and permanent residents.

Just give us parents ¥100,000 per kid monthly. And tax childless-by-choice couples at a 60% rate and see how quickly people will start to reproduce. I wouldn't mind some beer money. Also make it available only to citizens and permanent residents.

It's one idea, though 100K/month a stretch. Another idea, Govt. helping and paying citizens to carry till birth, only to hand the newborns over to be raised by the Govt.

Single & other women wishing to be childless primarily used with IVF, superior genetic pool the natural target.

@El rata

here’s to hoping that was cynicism….

Next, maybe consider investing in the hardworking staff and facilities. It is a disgrace how little hoikushi are compensated considering how long they work and what they have to deal with every day. A lot of young people aspire to be hoikushi, but it is just not a viable option if it pays little more than the combini, especially if you live in an expensive area like over-rated Tokyo.

Cost is NOT a factor in deciding to have children. The reason Japanese women, and it is the women, are putting off having babies is Japan's "one way" work system. That is, you enter the company, you leave the company. There is no coming back after childbirth. I know the law says otherwise but this is the reality. Those in the public sector get a better deal but the culture must change before women in Japan stop putting off motherhood until their mid 30's when for some it is already too late.

It will show a negligible increase in births and proof my point.

the reasons there are less children is that women prefer their freedom over minimum 18 years restrictive parenthood. And that they are not at all attracted anymore by ever more feminin Japanese man.

2 facts nobody wants to hear

And.free ? No, paid by those who choose not to have kids.

More people in Tokyo?

Comedy!

Finally a good decision. That something where tax money should go, instead of supporting proxy wars abroad.

Free daycare is available?? offered in other nations as a mechanism to free the wife from...'household duties' so she can become a member of the working population, or more importantly continue a career (the latter gets my vote).

I have a friend who went to a nightclub in Tokyo and got his new girlfriend pregnant that night he mzt her

Classy girl. I’m sure their marriage will be a bedrock of stability for raising the child.

Their marriage lasted only a few years and the boy did not have the best ever parentship.

But he is managing well his life and he is about to become a lawyer.

Life has never been linear.

No, paid by those who choose not to have kids.

That's fair deal. Who's gonna pay pension for those childless elderly when they reach retirement age? Who's gonna be their nurses and doctors?

David BrentDec. 13  08:34 am JST

Classy girl. I’m sure their marriage will be a bedrock of stability for raising the child.

Classy girl? How about classy boy? They both had a one-night stand, not just the woman.

Free? Free for who?

Someone is going to be paying.. Usually those getting no benefit.

Too little too late, having kids isn't just the cost of day care it's the burden of taking care of the children in general. Japan is well known to have a large population of guys who have never been with a women even once. Just making daycare free for first and second born is like throwing a cup of water on a burning house hoping that would put out the fire. If labor shortage is an issue and they don't want to bring in foreigners then the only other option in my opinion is start buying or producing humanoid robots to do all the work. I mean according to Elon musk there will be more humanoid robots than people by 2040.

Believe it or not, but I can guarantee you, that the only way for higher birthrates is the one how we all came up, a pure biological science based one, which probably everyone has been taught about at school or by your parents or own experience. I spare the further details here. lol

How about killing two birds with one stone? JSDF members will receive tax waivers for the year each child is born.

This will help JSDF recruiting while encouraging Japan’s birth rate.

Why they keep fixating on this is beyond me. Japan is way too overcrowded as it is, being packed into trains like sardines is not sustainable. Trimming the population is not a bad thing at all.