Search - child-care-in-japan

 
 
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Japan in Action
Mar 12, 2021

Efforts to reduce waiting times for day care paying dividends

This is the first article in a Japan in Action series, showcasing key policies of the Suga administration.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 13, 2009

Parties wave flag for child-rearing

Child-rearing support is a focal issue in the campaign for the Aug. 30 election as the two main parties fight to woo parents, especially those who both work or have young children.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jan 28, 2018

Court cases shine a light on Japan's problem with paternity leave

Two cases currently before the courts show how the reality of Japanese workplaces can clash with government attempts to encourage fathers to help raise their children.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 17, 2010

Kindergartens, day care centers may merge

When it comes to finding a place to park the kiddies for the day, working parents generally have two options: kindergartens and day care facilities.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 8, 2009

Government day care falling short

The line of children waiting to get into government-subsidized day care is swelling for the first time in five years, a sign of these recessionary times, some observers say. But for others it is merely the latest blow in a long-term problem, especially for working mothers unable to leave their toddlers...
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 22, 2023

Japan hopes to inspire more men to take paternity leave

In fiscal 2021, only 13.97% of eligible men took child care leave. The government has raised the target for fiscal 2025 from 30% to 50% and aims to push up the share to 85% by 2030.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 31, 2004

At-home dads

Kazuyuki Yamamura is a tall, good-looking man in his 30s, who was also good at his job. In fact, not so long ago he bought a house for himself, his wife and their kindergarten-age daughter in a leafy suburb of Tokyo. Then, unexpectedly, his company found itself in choppy financial waters -- and he was...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Commentary
Feb 13, 2020

Can Japan kick-start paternity leave among workaholic dads?

In January, Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi received worldwide attention after surprising the public with his plan to take parental leave shortly before the birth of his first child.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2016

Shared homes offer respite for Japan's struggling single mothers

The government talks about creating a society where every woman can play an active role, but the chronic shortage of day care is pushing some entrepreneurs to take things into their own hands.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Oct 5, 2014

Families run into twin 'walls' as they seek after-school care

The gulf between day care for preschoolers and after-school care for elementary school students can come as a major shock to the system for parents and children alike.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND
Aug 7, 2014

Foster parent shortage takes growing toll on children

Veteran foster parent Mika Hobbs was surprisingly frank when she confessed how nerve-racking her job can be.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Jan 22, 2008

Making day care fit real needs

Second of two parts
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 27, 2022

Day cares struggle to stay open as COVID-19 surges across Japan

On Monday, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry announced that a record 327 licensed day care facilities nationwide were closed as of Jan. 20 due to the virus.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2021

China’s three-child policy may do little to boost its birthrate

'The issue is high child-care costs, employment discrimination against women in childbearing age, lack of child care in the workplace etc.,' said a banker involved in strategy in the region.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 30, 2019

Blame gender gap for Japan's low fertility rate

The only way to fundamentally turn around Japan's falling fertility rate is to build a society free of gender discrimination.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 1, 2017

Building a family with a difference: American couple in Japan explain decision to adopt child with disabilities

Confronted with hard questions about why they felt the need to adopt, the O'Briens chose to raise Sam, a child with Down syndrome.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jan 30, 2016

Work-life balance in Japan leans in one direction

The concept of work-life balance is intrinsically appealing. People are so busy with work nowadays that they can't escape, tethered as they are to their jobs by smartphones. This situation generates stress and encroaches on private time with family and friends. Weekends? What weekends?!
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 30, 2013

Cultural and legal hurdles block path to child adoptions in Japan

While more than 7,000 couples applied to adopt or become foster parents every year between 2006 and 2010, only 309 children were adopted in fiscal 2010, according to government figures.
Japan Times
Features
Apr 29, 2012

Konami staffer's victory not a game-changer

There is no shortage of laws in Japan stating that working women should be given the same employment protection and rights as their male counterparts.
Helping Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s political fortunes is the Liberal Democratic Party’s inability to agree on a successor.
EDITORIALS
Nov 24, 2023

Kishida is in trouble, but he’ll survive — for now

A Jiji Press survey released earlier this month put the Kishida Cabinet's approval at 21.3%, the lowest level since his inauguration in 2021.
Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2024

Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment

The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 7, 2024

Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate

Some point to a shift in the nation’s security stance, while opposition party lawmakers indicate a general apathy among the media to cover the story.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government is working hard to enhance Japan's global and regional influence through strategic defense reforms and international partnerships.
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2024

Japan’s defense reforms and diplomacy boost regional security

Considerable progress was made this week in a series of meetings with Tokyo's counterparts in various endeavors, the heart of which is the Japan-U.S. alliance.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2025

Ishiba stresses regional revitalization in policy speech

The relocation of industrial, state and academic institutions to regions outside of Tokyo will begin with government agencies.
Japan’s ruling LDP-Komeito bloc lost big, smaller parties gained ground and the country now faces a more fractured, uncertain political future.
EDITORIALS
Jul 25, 2025

Voter revolt shatters Japan’s ruling coalition and empowers smaller parties

The big winners were smaller, newer parties on the right, Sanseito and the Democratic Party for the People.
The family grave of Toshihide Matsumoto is dismantled in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. An increasing number of Japanese people are opting to permanently close their family graves as traditional family structures continue to change.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 9, 2023

Graying Japan faces a grave problem

Services designed to help people move or scatter their ancestors' ashes and close up family graves are experiencing increased demand.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes a toast with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at a Japan-ASEAN luncheon meeting at the Japan Business Federation in Tokyo on Dec. 18. Kishida’s chance of reelection in the LDP presidential race in September will largely depend on his administration’s response to the current funding scandal and its entanglement in it.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2023

Scandal, economic policy and LDP race to weigh on Kishida in 2024

How he balances all three will determine whether he keeps his job as LDP party president and, by extension, prime minister.
Kumiko Shichijo provides tips on Japanese etiquette and manners on Instagram and says videos on gift-giving and hand towels have done particularly well.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 29, 2024

Kumiko Shichijo: ‘Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette’

Worried about committing a social faux pas while in Japan? This manners expert hopes to help you be your most polite while out and about.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’