Japan Panel Makes Key Proposals for Blanket Nursery Fee Aid

May 31, 2018

Tokyo- A Japanese government panel on Thursday made key proposals over a planned blanket financial assistance program that will realize free infant care and education for many families.

The panel proposed up to 37,000 yen in monthly subsidies to households with children between 3 and 5 who receive care at facilities or service providers other than nurseries that satisfy state standards. Eligible families must be certified by municipalities as needing child care services.

The maximum subsidy should be set at 42,000 yen for low-income households exempted from residential tax that have children up to 2 and use facilities or service providers other than those meeting state standards, according to the panel, chaired by former internal affairs minister Hiroya Masuda.

Regarding the program, the government already decided to make child care effectively free of charge for children up to 2 from low-income households who attend nurseries meeting state standards.

A similar decision was also made for all families with children between 3 and 5 who attend nurseries meeting state standards, kindergartens or nursery-kindergarten hybrids.

But the government has yet to make a decision on the amounts of assistance for children who receive care at other types of facilities and service providers.

The panel proposed setting the maximum subsidies at levels in line with the nationwide averages of monthly fees at nurseries that meet state standards.

The government plans to reflect the panel's proposals into its basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines due out in June.

The assistance program is to be fully launched in October 2019. Jiji Press