A.	Enactment of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law

Considering this era of fewer births and an aging population, it is vital to foster an environment that taps the abilities and experiences of workers, while enabling them to harmonize their work with child care or family care, and thereby to achieve fuller working careers throughout their lives.
      To this end, policies to harmonize working life with family life are being comprehensively and systematically promoted by the Ministry of Labour based on the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law.

Establishment of measures such as Child and Family Care Leave Systems

      The Ministry of Labour has been taking every opportunity to fully inform employers, workers and other concerned persons about the aims and content of the Law and to promote knowledge regarding the establishment of an environment to facilitate harmony between work and child care or family care. At the same time, we are promoting the smooth introduction of child and family care leave, shortening of working hours and other measures based on the Law.
      In addition, active publicity efforts are planned with a focus on the One-Month Campaign for Harmonization of Work and Families (October).

Outline of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law 1. Child Care Leave System Workers are able, upon notification to their employers, to take child care leave until their children reach the age of one. 2. Family Care Leave System Workers are able, upon notification to their employers, to take family care leave for a period of up to three consecutive months, once per subject family member requiring constant care. Subject family members consist of spouses, parents and children (including those legally regarded there as), and parents of spouses. 3. Limitation of night work When workers within certain limits who have to care for pre-school children or other dependent family members who require constant care, make a request to undertake such care, an employer cannot insist that they undertake night work. This is with the exception of cases in which a company would be otherwise unable to maintain its regular business operation. 4. Measures for shortening working hours, etc. To support workers who have child care or other family care responsibilities, but who continue working without using the child care or family care leave system, employers must implement at least one of the following measures: a system for a shorter work schedule, a flex-time work schedule, a system for starting or finishing work at a later or earlier time, exemption from work in non-scheduled working hours (only in the case of child care), provision and operation of child care facilities, and/or financial assistance for the costs of child care or family care. 5. Support by the government and other organizations The national administration provides support programs including consultation and advice for employers. It also offers a course, consultation, and re-employment assistance for workers. In addition, prefectural administrations provide a course for workers, support programs including consultation, and they attempt to establish Family Support Facilities for Workers.

B.	Promotion of measure to harmonize working lives with family lives

Various moves are being undertaken to harmonize working lives with family lives. These include the establishment of comprehensive subsidies targeted to support employers who implement measures that contribute to the stabilization of employment for workers with child care or family care duties.

1.	Promoting the creation of an environment that makes it easier for a worker who has taken child care leave or family care leave to return to the workplace

Rendering support to employers (via provision of courses and information), which helps facilitate the smooth return to work of employees who use the child care or family care leave system.

2.	Promoting the creation of an environment that makes it easier for a worker who has taken child care leave or family care leave to return to continue working

Employers bearing part of the cost for their workers to use baby sitters, home helpers or other services for child or family care are entitled to the subsidy for the cost of child and family care (employment security subsidies for child/family care). Other assistance includes the subsidy for company nurseries (employment security subsidies for child/family care) offered to employers setting up a company nursery (including a nursery en route to the company for commuting workers).
      Another subsidy is offered to employers' organizations which are "Family Friendly Company" and prepare an employment environment with consideration for workers who must take care of their children or family members (employment security subsidies for child/family care).
      Other initiatives include a telephone service that provides consultation on child care and family care, as well as specific information about the local region (2020 Telephone Service) and training for "Child care supporters" who will become the providers of child care. Also, "Harmonization support seminars" are provided to instruct people in how to continue work while providing child or family care.
      To respond to changing or unforeseen child care needs related to, for example, unexpected overtime or the illness of a child, subsidies are being extended to municipalities that set up Family Support Centers that conduct mutual child care assistance activities at the local level. Assistance is also being extended to local public organizations that establish Family Support Facilities for Workers in the community that enhance the functions of welfare centers for female workers and assist in harmonizing working lives with the family lives of men and women.

3.	Promoting measures to help those who have left work to raise a child or care for a family member find re-employment

To support the re-employment of persons who have left work for child care or family care reasons, a program of support for persons who have registered their desire for re-employment which includes information and assistance for educational training for personal development is being implemented and the proliferation of re-employment systems is being promoted. Furthermore, a program promoting assistance for the employment of women, which includes counseling, guidance, information and technical courses related to work, is being implemented for women seeking employment.

4.	Work assistance for women who are widowed and single mothers

Work assistance for women who are widowed and single mothers Work assistance is extended to widowed single mothers in the form of allowances for Public Vocational Training and other programs and employment counseling at Public Employment Security Offices by employment counselors.