Japan's government has decided to create a database that will store various information about the country's children, such as their academic abilities and their family's economic conditions, in an attempt to prevent child poverty and abuse, a source familiar with the plan said Tuesday.
By integrating such data, which is often collected separately by the welfare and education sections of municipal governments, officials hope to quickly identify children in need of assistance and provide support.
The government is seeking to introduce the database across the country as early as fiscal 2023 as part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's policy to promote the digital transformation of society, according to the source.