The Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo
13:35 JST, June 1, 2024
Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press) – The Japanese government on Friday adopted an action plan for child-related measures, including measures to support the low birth rate such as expanding child allowances and enhanced steps to reduce child poverty.
The 2024 action plan, approved at the day meeting of the Council for the Promotion of Child-Related Measures, composed of all Cabinet ministers, will be reflected in the government’s annual guidelines for economic and budgetary policies, which will be released in June or later drawn up. .
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, chairman of the council, called on participating ministers to “steadily implement the action plan by sincerely listening to the views of children and youth.”
The action plan is the first to be drawn up on the basis of the General Principles for Child-oriented Measures, which the cabinet adopted last December. The general principles determine the direction of child-related measures for the next five years.
The action plan reiterates steps to expand child benefits, such as removing the income limit for parents to receive the benefits and extending the payment deadline. It also provides educational support for children from low-income families and a survey of so-called young caregivers, or young people who provide daily care for family members.
In addition, the action plan includes indicators to monitor progress in the implementation of child-related measures, such as the utilization rate of programs to support children’s education. The government plans to revise the action plan every year by assessing the measurements of the indicators.
