CHILDREN
Initiatives for Children
●　Subsidizing Pre-School Children
Under a New Komeito initiative, the government’s subsidy paid to a family’s first and second child under the age of three doubled in 2007, to 10,000 yen a month. The subsidy owes its roots to a program that New Komeito’s predecessor, the Komeito Party, developed and adopted at the local government level in 1967, and under the extensive lobbying of Komeito lawmakers at the time, implemented as a nationwide program in 1972. Since New Komeito joined the coalition government in 1999, the number of children receiving the entitlement has soared more than five-fold in the seven-year period, to 1.3 million. The program remains a key policy initiative for New Komeito due to its strategic significance in reversing not only Japan’s declining birthrate but the national pension program’s eroding subscriber base as well. A major reason cited by married couples for not having children is the high financial burden of raising a family.
●　Supporting Elementary School Children
New Komeito raised both the eligibility age—from eight to ten—of a state subsidy for primary school children, as well as the income ceiling for families entitled to the subsidy, from 7.8 million yen to 8.6 million yen per year for company employees (the ceiling for business owners is slightly lower) in fiscal 2006. More than 13 million children are thus covered under the program, an increase of some 4 million from 2005. From April 2008, moreover, families will see the premium of healthcare insurance for elementary school children reduced to 20 percent from 30 percent now.
●　Raising Childbirth Allowance
A one-time government allowance paid to families with newborn children was increased from 300,000 yen to 350,000 yen in October 2006. The initiative, which New Komeito was the primary architect, aims to offset medical expenses incurred from childbirth and reduce the financial constraints placed on married couples seeking additional children.
●　Increasing Daycare Capacity
New Komeito also lobbied strongly for a state subsidy, approved since fiscal 2006, paid to private daycare operators to address a serious shortfall in enrollment capacity. More than a million children have been placed on waiting lists to enroll in daycare facilities. The subsidy is believed to have created additional capacity to enroll 45,000 children. The range of daycare services was also enhanced, including special pediatric outpatient care by registered nurses.
●　Related Initiatives
Under a program launched under New Komeito’s leadership, professional childcare counselors visit parents, particularly young mothers, at home to offer advice on raising babies up to the age of four months. The program aims to prevent and reverse the growing number of child abuse and abandonment cases in Japan. Our party’s regular discussions with women constituents and support groups across the nation have also helped realize such initiatives as a pediatric hotline (Japan now suffers from a growing pediatrician shortage), and state certified daycare centers where children up to the age of five can be enrolled on a temporary basis eight hours a day, regardless of reason.
