The purpose of this paper is to consider the legal policies regarding grandparents in Japan. To this end, we have analysed two things; the legal structures of grandparent-grandchild contact in Japan and in Canada, and the public support systems for grandparents who care for grandchildren while their parents are working in Japan, the UK, Singapore and Australia. What I wish to show in this paper are two things. First, it is necessary to consider the enactment of the legal procedure for grandparent-grandchild contact in Japan. Second, it is necessary to introduce some support systems (e.g. financial support) for grandparents as child caregivers in Japan. This paper summarizes the presentation made at the convention of the Japan Association of Legal and Political Sciences at Kinki University in June, 2008.
