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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / DECISION 2014
Dec 10, 2014

Japan's persisting gender gap leaves many single moms in poverty

Yuka Suzuki, 47, has virtually no savings, earns about half the average national wage and cannot see where the money will come from to retire one day.
JAPAN / LOOMING CHALLENGES
Jan 5, 2010

Experts say Japan must change how it is handling low birthrate

The government has been grappling with a low birthrate for 20 years, but experts say the Hatoyama administration must step up the game if Japan is to maintain a leading role on the international stage.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2021

New agency intended to put Japan’s child policies under one roof

Currently at least five different government bodies are in charge of policies related to children, often causing confusion among parents.
EDITORIALS
Nov 28, 2015

New ways to reduce child abuse

While an expert panel looks for better ways to protect children, the government needs to look into the basic issue of how to eliminate the potential seeds of abuse in the first place.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 30, 2014

To boost economy, recruiting stay-at-home dads

Manabu Tsukagoshi, a Tokyo-based consultant, took a month of paternity leave after his second child was born. That prompted his wife, a homemaker, to get a full-time job in the financial industry.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan