Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Wednesday that his government will create 220,000 new day care spots, bringing the number of children on the waiting list for nurseries to zero by the end of fiscal 2020.
Abe, in a speech in Tokyo, also promised to add another 100,000 spots during fiscal 2021-2022, taking the total to 320,000 in the next five years.
Wednesday's announcement is a follow-up to a five-year plan ending in March 2018 that pledged the availability of day care for every child in the nation whose parents wish to work. It also promised to eliminate the waiting list by the end of fiscal 2017.