The first child care facility on Diet premises in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, will open on Sept. 1, its operator said Thursday.
The facility, in the new No. 2 House of Representatives members' office building, will be available for monthly use by a wide range of people, including lawmakers, their secretaries, government employees and nearby residents.
Petitioners and other visitors to the Diet will also be able to use the facility on an hourly basis, according to child care service provider Alpha Corp.
With the capacity to look after 34 children on a monthly basis and an additional 12 children temporarily, the facility is for kids at least 57 days old. Monthly fees range from ¥70,000 to ¥80,000 based on the child's age, while the fee for temporary use is ¥2,100 per hour.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Seiko Hashimoto, 45, a mother of three who gave birth to her first child in 2000, has been instrumental in calling for a nursery to be set up on Diet premises.