A new activist group campaigning for better child care policies in Japan said at its inaugural event Saturday that it intends to put direct pressure on the government by highlighting Japan's shortcomings compared with other countries.
Speaking at a symposium in Minato Ward, Tokyo, representatives of Japan Child Care Cheer Group said the nation's low fertility rate of 1.34 is largely due to the insufficient support available for child-rearing families and working parents.
"Japan is trailing behind other leading economies in child care policies, and we will collect various data to show this, as well as analyze manifestos from political parties near the election to show the public what they each intend to do (to improve child care)," said economic analyst and best-selling author Kazuyo Katsuma, one of the leaders of the group recently set up by key commentators in the field. Katsuma is viewed as an example of a successful working mother, rearing three children.