The line of children waiting to get into government-subsidized day care is swelling for the first time in five years, a sign of these recessionary times, some observers say. But for others it is merely the latest blow in a long-term problem, especially for working mothers unable to leave their toddlers in capable hands.
Last October, more than 40,000 children were unable to register with government-approved day care facilities, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
The situation is so desperate that when the National Association for Childcare Organizations (Zenhoren) in February opened a hotline for anxious parents, one mother rang in saying she makes her 5-year-old child look after her 1-year-old while she goes out to work during the day.