Japan’s nursery school waiting lists grow for first time in nine years
The number of children on nursery school waiting lists in the nation as of April 1 rose by 181 from a year earlier to 2,435, up for the first time in nine years due largely to a sharp increase in Tokyo, the Children and Families Agency said Friday.
Japan's nursery school waiting lists have grown for the first time in nine years, with the number of children on lists increasing by 181 to 2,435 as of April 1, according to the Children and Families Agency. The rise in demand is largely attributed to the introduction of free child care for first-born children in Tokyo in 2025 and an increase in households raising children due to cash handouts for those aged 18 and under.
Tokyo's Setagaya Ward saw the largest number of children waiting for nursery school places, with 166, while six other wards in the capital also ranked among the top 10. Ninety-one percent of municipalities in Japan had no children on waiting lists, highlighting the concentration of demand in urban areas.
Brief written by urgent.news from Japan Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
