The number of children on day care waiting lists hit a record-low of 12,439 in Japan as of April 1, the government said Friday, but it abandoned the goal of reducing the figure to zero by next March.
The tally was down 4,333 from the year before thanks to an increase in the number of facilities, even though there was a record-high of 2.84 million applications for spots, up 58,000. The survey began in 1994.
"The situation is severe. We will aim to bring the number to zero in fiscal 2021 or later," Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a news conference. "Efforts to increase capacity have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic."