2006 Volume 61 Issue 3 Pages 210-222
Over the past three decades, the number of children has been decreasing owing to the lowering fertility rate in Japan. The Japanese government has recently enforced various policies to increase the fertility rate and achieve a gender-egalitarian society. One measure promoted by this government policy is childrearing support, which is necessary for working women with children to reconcile jobs and childcare. Although the number of children admitted to daycare centers has been increasing since 1995, the demand for childcare services has grown even faster despite the falling birth rate. As a result, the number of children on waiting lists amounted to 26,383 in 2003, while the total capacity of nursery centers exceeded the number of children actually going to them. This suggests a regional imbalance between the supply and demand for childcare services. The aim of this study is to examine such imbalances from a geographical viewpoint. The number of children on waiting lists for approved nursery centers is heavily concentrated in metropolitan areas where the majority of households consist of nuclear families and dual-income households who demand childcare services. The shortage of childcare services is extremely serious especially in suburbs where the population has rapidly increased. To solve this, the government launched a strategic plan to reduce the number of children on the waiting list in 2001, deregulating control over childcare facilities. In addition, local governments such as Tokyo certified and financially assisted privately operated daycare centers, including some kindergartens, having extended their opening hours to combine both childcare and educational services.
