Last Monday was Children's Day in Japan, but it was not a celebration for all children. New York-based Human Rights Watch issued a report on May 1 pointing out Japan's tendency to place orphans and abused children into institutions instead of finding them foster homes. Contrary to the general global trend of finding substitute homes for children who cannot live with their own parents, Japan overwhelmingly institutionalizes children rather than finding other alternatives.
Government statistics show that 39,000 children are in child care institutions in Japan as of 2013. Of such children, Japan placed 12 percent with foster parents, according to a report in 2012. In contrast, Australia manages to place 93.5 percent of children in the care of foster parents. America has 77 percent of its children in foster family care.
In Japan, only 15 percent of children under 2 years old who are considered most easily adoptable because of their young age were with foster families.