Part Two: Report by Article

An employer shall not dismiss or apply other unfavorable treatment on a worker by reason of a worker applying for or taking childcare or family care leave.

Those who care for children who have not yet reached school age or those who need to take care of family members who require nursing care, can request exemption from overtime work exceeding 24 hours a month or 150 hours a year.

The age limit of the children to whom are applied compulsory measures for employers to shorten working hours, etc., has been raised from below one year of age to below three years of age.

Employers shall make efforts to take measures for employees with children who have not yet reached school age to take leave for taking care of sick or injured children.

Employers who transfer employees to a position with a change in location shall consider the employee's childcare and nursing care situation, such as understanding the situation and making allowances for his/her intention.

The Government shall take necessary measures including public relations activities to deepen among employers, employees and the rest of the national public the understanding of management of life at work and family life by workers who take care of children and other family members.

1 April 2002. However, i) and vi) came into force on the day of promulgation (16 November 2001).

Support for managing life at work and child raising has been an important and urgent issue for the formation of a gender-equal society in Japan, therefore, in January 2001, the "Specialist Committee on Support Measures for the Balancing of Work and Child Raising" was established under the Council for Gender Equality. Based on the final report from this committee, the "Comments on the Policies on Support Measures for the Balancing of Work and Child Raising" were approved by the Council, in June 2001. Based on the Comments, the "Policy on Support Measures for the Balancing of Work and Child Raising" was approved by the Cabinet. This policy provides numerical targets and deadline for measures including a strategy for no children waiting lists for day-care centers and the establishment of after-school measures for children.

The strategy for no children waiting lists for day-care centers and the establishment of after-school measures for children have been incorporated into both the "Reform Work Schedule," which indicates the direction of Japanese structural reforms, and the "Front-Loaded Reform Program" included therein, which contains measures requiring implementation with particular urgency.

In 1999, the Government adopted the "Concrete Plan to Implement a Priority Measures for the Declining Birth Rate (New Angel Plan)" to meet diversifying demands for nursing, brought about as a result of an increase in the number of working women and change in working pattern, and to support management of work and child care. Based on this plan, since FY2000, the Government has been promoting measures such as the acceptance of infants (0 to 2 year olds) with the highest demand for care was expanded, childcare hours were extended (in general later than 6pm), and temporary childcare and others have been advanced.

As of 1 April 2001, there are 22,218 childcare or day-care centers with 1,828,312 children enrolled.

In order for local governments to flexibly respond to challenges including no children waiting lists for day-care centers through deregulation related to certified day-care facilities that meet the Child Welfare Facilities Minimum Standard, a series of deregulations, including abolishment of limitation of establishment entity, were implemented in March 2000.

In order to promote the no children waiting lists for day-care centers incorporated in the "Policy on Support Measures for the Balancing of Work and Child Raising" (Cabinet decision on 6 July 2001), which was formulated based on comments of the Council for Gender Equality, efforts are being made to develop necessary facilities to accommodate the increase of 150,000 children by FY2004.

As the first child care facility in Kasumigaseki, which is the government office district, the "Kasumigaseki Nursery" was established by the mutual aid society of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in October 2001. In consideration for the working situation in Kasumigaseki, child care hours were set until 10 p.m. in an attempt to develop an environment which supports working parents taking care of their children.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is making efforts to provide school children in the lower grades whose parents are not at home in the afternoon due to work and other reasons with fora for playing and living after-school through utilizing child welfare facilities, etc., (after-school children's clubs). As of 1 May 2001, this has been implemented in 11,803 locations with 452,135 registered children.

In accordance with the "Policy on Support Measures for the Balancing of Work and Child Raising" (Cabinet decision on 6 July 2001), the acceptance system of after-school children including after-school children's clubs will be expanded to 15,000 locations by FY2004.

To meet the diversifying needs of the kindergarteners' parents, "day care," which is the care service provided prior to and after four hours of curricular activities and during vacations, is being advanced. Whereas in 1997 approximately 30% of Japan's kindergartens provided this service, in 2001 more than 50% provided it.

From FY2000, "Child Care Leave Substitute Personnel Securing Subsidy" is provided for those employers who have secured substitute personnel during an employee's child care leave and returns the employee to the former job or an equivalent position, after stipulating the treatment of workers who take child leave in their rules and regulations; that is in principle those shall be returned to the former job or equivalent position.

Family Support Center projects which conduct community based mutual support activities by local membership clubs composed of those who extend child care assistance and those who want to receive such services in order to meet irregular or fluctuating needs for child care that the existing day-care centers can not cope with such as a sudden need to work overtime. Since FY2001, this project has been enhanced comprehensively by taking such measures as promoting their establishment in large cities, strengthening their cooperation with childcare facilities and increasing the number of their locations. The establishment of facilities has been promoted toward enhancement of child-raising support in the community, in FY2002 (286 locations by FY2002).

The "Re-employment Support Project" has been provided to support those who quit their jobs for childcare and nursing care but wish to be reemployed in the future. This project has been gradually expanding its implementation areas, and from FY2002, services are available in all 47 prefectures.

Furthermore, in the Public Employment Security Office (Compatible Support Hello Work) that undertakes support for managing life at work and family life, reemployment support services are given to those who want to be newly employed but have childcare, housework and nursing care constraints, by providing detailed employment consultations, employment introductions and other services.