February 2, 2023

Japanese Communist Party representative Miyamoto Toru at a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on February 1 demanded that as a measure to deal with the declining birthrate, education from the primary school level through university be made tuition-free without an income ceiling.

Miyamoto pointed out that the first-year payment of tuition and fees at private universities amounts to more than 1.35 million yen on average, imposing a heavy financial burden on households. He said, "Many give up on going to university due to high tuition fees and many suffer from the repayment requirement of scholarship loans. This is the reality."

Miyamoto said, "For the child-raising generation, a reduction in the financial burden of education costs is essential." Citing the International Covenants on Human Rights which calls for the gradual elimination of tuitions for higher education, he demanded that the national government provide free education up to the level of tertiary education without setting an income limit and place tuition-free education as a pillar of countermeasures to address the nation's falling birthrate.

In response, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio just said, "Education is also a very important component in 'children and child-rearing support measures'."

Miyamoto criticized the government for prioritizing the expansion of Japan's military strength over the provision of parenting support.