👶 Childcare & Parenting Support Guide for Foreign Residents in Japan

Child allowance (jido teate / 児童手当) is a monthly cash payment from the government to support families raising children. All residents — including foreign nationals — with a registered address are eligible, regardless of nationality or income level. This is one of the most important financial support programs for families in Japan, and it is completely free to apply for.

Payment Amounts by Age

The monthly amount depends on the child\'s age and birth order:

• Children under 3 years old — 15,000 yen per month per child
• Children aged 3 to elementary school graduation — 10,000 yen per month for the first and second child, 15,000 yen per month for the third child and beyond
• Junior high school students (ages 12-15) — 10,000 yen per month per child
• High school students (ages 15-18) — 10,000 yen per month per child (extended coverage)

Payments are distributed three times per year — in February, June, and October — each covering the preceding 4 months. For example, the June payment covers February through May. This means you receive a lump sum of 40,000 to 60,000 yen per child at each payment, depending on the age bracket.

How to Apply

Apply at the childcare counter (kosodate shien-ka) at your city hall or ward office. You must apply within 15 days of your child\'s birth or within 15 days of moving to a new municipality. This deadline is critical — the allowance is not paid retroactively for months before your application date. If you apply late, you lose the payments for the missed months permanently.

Bring the following documents when applying:

• Applicant\'s residence card (the parent who will receive the payment)
• Bank account information — the account must be in the applicant\'s name. A bankbook or cash card showing the account number is needed.
• My Number — for both the applicant and spouse
• Child\'s health insurance card (if already issued)
• Applicant\'s health insurance card

Annual Status Report

Each year in June, you must submit a status report (genkyo todoke) to continue receiving the allowance. Your city hall will send you the form by mail. This confirms your continued eligibility — your address, income, and family situation. If you do not submit this report, your payments will be suspended. Many municipalities now allow online submission through the My Number portal.

Nurseries (hoikuen / 保育園) accept children from 0 to 5 years old and are essential for working parents. To be eligible, both parents must demonstrate a need for childcare — the most common reasons are work, job-seeking, illness, pregnancy, or caregiving for a family member. The nursery system is run by municipalities and the application process uses a point-based system to determine priority.

Types of Nurseries

There are several types of nurseries available:

• Licensed nurseries (ninka hoikuen / 認可保育園) — managed by the municipality with income-based fees. These are the most popular option and have the highest quality standards. Both public (run by the city) and private (run by corporations or NPOs under municipal oversight) licensed nurseries exist.
• Small-scale nurseries (shokibo hoiku) — serve children aged 0 to 2 in smaller groups of up to 19 children. They often have easier availability than larger nurseries and offer a more intimate environment for very young children.
• Company-sponsored nurseries (kigyou shudou-gata hoiku) — run by companies, primarily for employees\' children but sometimes open to the community. These may have openings when public nurseries are full.
• Unlicensed nurseries (ninka-gai hoikuen / 認可外保育園) — privately run facilities that do not have municipal licensing. Fees are set by the facility and can be higher, but availability is often better. Quality varies widely, so visit and evaluate carefully before enrolling.

The Point System

Applications for licensed nurseries are ranked using a point system (risankei shisuu). Points are awarded based on your childcare need. Full-time employment by both parents earns the most points. Part-time work, job-seeking, and illness earn fewer points. Additional points may be given for single-parent households, having siblings already in the same nursery, or living in the municipality for a longer period. The municipality publishes the point criteria each year — ask at your city hall or check their website for the current point table to estimate your chances.

Costs

Under Japan\'s free education policy, children aged 3 to 5 are free at licensed nurseries (no tuition fees). For children aged 0 to 2, fees are calculated based on your household income (specifically, your resident tax amount). Fees typically range from 0 yen (for very low-income households) to approximately 50,000 to 80,000 yen per month for higher-income families. The second child receives a 50% discount, and the third child and beyond attend free. Meals and special activities may incur additional fees of 5,000 to 10,000 yen per month.

Application Process and Timeline

Applications for April enrollment (the start of the Japanese school year) are typically submitted during October to December of the previous year. Results are announced in February. If you do not get a spot in the first round, there are mid-year openings throughout the year as families move or circumstances change — check with your city hall monthly. When applying, list multiple nursery preferences on your application (usually 5 to 10 choices) to maximize your chances. Visit each nursery before applying to see the facilities, meet the teachers, and assess the environment for your child. Competition for spots is intense in urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka — in some wards, having both parents working full-time is barely enough to secure a spot for a 0-year-old child.

Education in Japan is structured as 6 years of elementary school (shougakkou), 3 years of junior high school (chuugakkou), and 3 years of high school (koukou). Elementary and junior high school are classified as compulsory education for Japanese nationals, and while foreign children are not legally required to attend, they are fully welcome to enroll and the government actively encourages it. Understanding your options will help you make the best choice for your child.

Japanese Public Schools

Japanese public schools offer free tuition for elementary and junior high school. There are no enrollment fees, and textbooks are provided free of charge. You will need to pay for some supplies such as school materials, gym clothes, and a school bag (randoseru for elementary students, typically 30,000 to 70,000 yen), as well as school lunch fees of approximately 4,000 to 5,000 yen per month. To enroll, contact your local Board of Education (kyouiku iinkai / 教育委員会) at city hall. They will assign a school based on your registered address and guide you through the enrollment process.

Japanese Language Support

Many schools offer Japanese language support classes (nihongo shidou / 日本語指導) for children who do not yet speak Japanese. These are pull-out classes where your child receives dedicated Japanese language instruction during part of the school day. Some municipalities have dedicated Japanese language classrooms (nihongo kyoushitsu) where newly arrived children spend several months intensively studying Japanese before joining a regular classroom. Additionally, some areas provide weekend mother tongue classes to help children maintain their native language while learning Japanese. Ask the Board of Education about all available support before enrollment — the level of support varies significantly between municipalities.

International Schools

International schools are available in major cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe, Fukuoka) and offer curricula in English, French, German, Chinese, Korean, and other languages. Tuition is significantly higher — typically 1,000,000 to 2,500,000 yen per year — plus enrollment fees, facility fees, and other charges. However, class sizes are usually smaller (15-25 students), teachers are often native speakers, and the environment may be more familiar for newly arrived children. International schools are not part of the Japanese public school system, so they do not fulfill Japan\'s compulsory education requirement for Japanese nationals (this is not relevant for foreign families).

High School Options

High school is not compulsory, but the vast majority of students in Japan attend. Public high schools charge tuition of approximately 10,000 to 15,000 yen per month, though a government tuition support program (shuugaku shien-kin) covers most or all of this for many families. Admission to public high schools requires passing an entrance exam, which can be challenging for students with limited Japanese. Some prefectures offer special entrance exams for foreign students with simplified Japanese or additional time. Ask the Board of Education about special admission programs in your area.

Japan provides comprehensive support for pregnant women and new mothers, and this support is available to all residents regardless of nationality. The system is well-structured and covers pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal care. Understanding the timeline and steps will help you take full advantage of the available support.

Step 1: Report Your Pregnancy at City Hall

When you become pregnant, visit your city hall as soon as possible (ideally after your first doctor\'s visit confirms the pregnancy) to submit a pregnancy notification (ninshin todoke). You will receive two critically important items:

• Mother-Child Health Handbook (boshi kenko techo / 母子健康手帳) — this booklet tracks your pregnancy, delivery details, and your child\'s health and development from birth through early childhood (vaccinations, growth records, checkups). Bring it to every prenatal appointment and pediatric visit. Some municipalities offer the handbook in English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and other languages — ask at the counter.
• 14 Prenatal Checkup Vouchers (ninshin kenkou shinsa jusin-hyo) — these vouchers subsidize most of the cost of your routine prenatal checkups at hospitals and clinics. Each voucher covers 5,000 to 10,000 yen per visit, and without them, each checkup would cost 5,000 to 15,000 yen out of pocket. Use all 14 vouchers throughout your pregnancy.

Some municipalities also provide additional support such as prenatal classes, midwife consultations, and maternity support grants (10,000 to 100,000 yen depending on the city).

Step 2: Childbirth and the Birth Grant

When you give birth, your health insurance (either NHI or employer insurance) provides a lump-sum birth grant of 500,000 yen (shussan ikuji ichijikin / 出産育児一時金) per child. In most cases, this money is paid directly to the hospital through a system called "direct payment" (chokusetsu shiharai seido), so you do not need to cover the full delivery cost out of pocket. A typical normal delivery costs 400,000 to 600,000 yen. If the delivery costs less than 500,000 yen, you receive the difference as a refund. If it costs more (for example, due to a cesarean section or complications), you pay the remainder — but complications are covered by health insurance at the standard 30% co-pay rate, which significantly reduces the out-of-pocket cost.

Step 3: Birth Registration

After the birth, submit a birth notification (shussei todoke / 出生届) at your city hall within 14 days. The hospital will provide the official birth certificate to attach to the notification. This step registers your child as a resident of Japan, assigns them a My Number, and starts the process for obtaining their health insurance card. While at city hall, also apply for child allowance (児童手当) and register your child for health insurance — you can do all of this in one visit.

Reporting to Your Embassy

In addition to Japanese registration, report the birth to your home country\'s embassy or consulate in Japan to obtain your child\'s nationality registration and passport from your home country. Requirements and timelines vary by country — contact your embassy early to understand their process. Some countries have strict deadlines for birth registration abroad.

Japan\'s national immunization program provides comprehensive protection for children, and all routine vaccinations are free of charge for children living in Japan with a registered address. The program distinguishes between two categories: routine vaccinations (teiki sesshu) that are provided free and strongly recommended, and voluntary vaccinations (nin-i sesshu) that parents may choose to get at their own expense.

Routine (Free) Vaccinations

The following vaccinations are covered by the national program at no cost:

• BCG (tuberculosis) — single dose, typically given at 5-8 months of age
• DPT-IPV (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio) — 4 doses starting at 3 months
• Hepatitis B — 3 doses starting at 2 months
• Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b) — 4 doses starting at 2 months
• Pneumococcal (PCV13) — 4 doses starting at 2 months
• Measles-Rubella (MR) — 2 doses (first at 1 year, second before elementary school entry)
• Chickenpox (varicella) — 2 doses starting at 1 year
• Japanese Encephalitis — 4 doses starting at 3 years (important in Japan due to local mosquito-borne risk)
• HPV (human papillomavirus) — for girls, typically at ages 12-16

Each vaccine must be given within a specified age window to remain free. If you miss the window, you may need to pay out of pocket (typically 3,000 to 10,000 yen per dose).

Voluntary (Paid) Vaccinations

Some vaccinations are not included in the routine program but are recommended by many pediatricians. These include rotavirus (now routine as of recent years — check current schedule), influenza (approximately 3,000 to 4,000 yen per dose, recommended annually during flu season), and mumps (approximately 5,000 to 7,000 yen). Some municipalities subsidize certain voluntary vaccines — check with your city hall for local programs.

How to Get Vaccinated

Your municipality will send vaccination vouchers (sesshu-ken) and notices based on your child\'s age indicating when each vaccination is due. There are two methods: individual vaccination where you make an appointment at a designated hospital or clinic (most common), and group vaccination organized by the municipality at community health centers (used for BCG in some areas). When visiting the clinic, bring the Mother-Child Health Handbook, your child\'s health insurance card, and the vaccination voucher. The doctor will check your child\'s health before administering the vaccine.

Coordinating with Your Home Country\'s Schedule

Some vaccinations from your home country may differ from the Japanese schedule. For example, Japan does not routinely administer certain vaccines that other countries do (such as hepatitis A in some countries), and vice versa. If your child has already received some vaccinations abroad, bring their vaccination records to your pediatrician. The doctor can create a coordinated vaccination plan that accounts for vaccines already received and ensures your child gets the Japanese-required vaccines without unnecessary duplication. If your records are in a language other than Japanese or English, consider having them translated before the appointment.