The burden of raising children and caring for sick or elderly family members at the same time, known as "double care," is a matter of concern to a large portion of the population, according to a national survey.

The 2016 white paper from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which contains the survey results, points out that comprehensive support is necessary for such households. The white paper was reported at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

According to the survey, conducted on 3,000 men and women in their 40s and older, 45.4 percent said the burden of simultaneously caring for children and other family members is a familiar problem.

Regarding a question in which respondents could name multiple support services they need, a "public service window where citizens can ask for advice on child-rearing and nursing care" was the top answer at 43.3 percent, followed by a "place where citizens can receive a comprehensive support service on child-rearing and nursing care," at 33.6 percent.

The white paper, with the aging population as one of the major topics, says that employment among people aged 65 or older increased to 7.29 million as of 2015.

The employment rate for men in that age group was 29.3 percent and 14.3 percent for women, relatively higher than in other countries.

Of those working beyond compulsory retirement, some 61 percent had a pay cut of 30 percent or more, the report says.