Japan - December 2023

On 22 December, the Japanese cabinet approved a JPY 3.6 trillion (approximately USD 25 billion) package dubbed the “Children’s Future Strategy,” a policy aimed at tackling Japan’s declining birth rate. The package includes support measures for families raising children, including a new system allowing the children of non-working parents access to day care centres and free university education for families with three or more children, among other policy measures. The policy aims to be implemented by fiscal year 2025. Furthermore, the initiative places significant emphasis on increasing men’s uptake of parental leave from 17 per cent to 85 per cent by 2030. By enhancing leave benefits and allowances, the objective is to alleviate the disproportionate childcare burden on women.

Sources: Japan Times (1), The Asahi Shimbun,  Japan Times (2), The Japan News