The Hatoyama administration adopted in late January a "children and child-rearing vision" designed to help raise the nation's birthrate. The program involves a variety of initiatives and some 40 numerically defined goals. An obvious problem is where the necessary funds will be found.
The program, covering five years from fiscal 2010, replaces another that had not been revised for five years. It forms the basis of the administration's basic policy for boosting the birthrate.
The goals include raising the capacity at licensed nurseries from the current 2.15 million children to 2.41 million in fiscal 2014 (with the number of children younger than 3 years old at such facilities increasing from 750,000 to 1.02 million). By that time it is also hoped that 170,000 more infants will be in after-hours nursery care, and 300,000 more primary school pupils will be attending after-school child care. Total usage of nursery services for sick or recuperating children is projected to reach the equivalent of 2 million days per year, up from the current 310,000.