An estimated 253,000 people are currently shouldering the double burden of raising children while also caring for sick or elderly family members, a recent survey by the Cabinet Office has found.
By gender, women were found to be much more likely to undertake what in Japan is widely called "double care," numbering 168,000, as opposed to 85,000 men.
About 80 percent of those engaging in double care are in their 30s and 40s, highlighting the need for more public support for those who are supposed to be in the prime of life.