Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 21 - 27 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP proposal contributes to increasing number of authorized childcare facilities in Tokyo

More than 20,000 Tokyo children are on waiting lists for admission to authorized daycare centers. The Japanese Communist Party in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has been calling for utilizing unused metropolitan-owned land to construct authorized day nurseries. Currently, more and more authorized facilities are being built in line with the JCP proposal.

An authorized childcare center in Tokyo’s Kita Ward is one such facility. This daycare center was constructed on a strip of land leased from the Tokyo government to the facility operator at a lower rate than usual. At this daycare center, all of the rooms are barrier-free and equipped with floor heating. Children can play outside with the inclusion of an airy outdoor playground. The nursery’s principal said, “To build a day nursery in central Tokyo normally costs 200 million to 300 million yen in the land purchase cost alone. If Tokyo-owned land is available at a reasonable price, it will contribute to increasing the number of childcare facilities similar to ours.”

The JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group gathered information about unused Tokyo-owned properties with the aim to push the Tokyo government to promote the use of its land assets. The JCP-collected information shows that as of May 26, vacant lands at 228 locations in Tokyo can be used to build authorized day nurseries.

Ono Hideko of a civil group working to improve childcare services in Tokyo referred to the issue of an increase in the number of childcare facilities set up by private corporations in hi-rise buildings which have no outdoor play space for children. Ono pointed to the need to build authorized facilities with playgrounds on unused public land which can be rented at a low price. She also said, “Pushed by the JCP proposals, including the utilization of unused Tokyo properties, and Tokyo citizens’ grassroots-based movements, the Tokyo government is moving to provide better childcare services. The upcoming Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election’s results will influence the national government’s childcare policies.”

The JCP in its platform for the July 2 Tokyo assembly race promises to promote the construction of authorized childcare centers in order to admit an additional 90,000 children.

Past related articles:
> JCP efforts bring about construction of more nurseries on vacant national land [ May 9, 2014]
> JCP wins Tokyo governor’s support to utilize public land for more care facilities [March 5, 2014]
> Make use of Tokyo public land for more childcare centers: JCP [March 14, 2013]