Key Facts
• Governor Yuriko Koike highlighted the importance of sustained childcare support in an FNN interview.
• She criticized inconsistent policies, calling them “cat’s eye governance.”
• Current measures include subsidies for painless childbirth and free childcare for firstborns.
• New initiatives for 2024 include creating model schools to address absenteeism from first grade.
• The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science will collaborate on the absenteeism project.
Summary
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, in an exclusive FNN interview, stressed the need for continuous support for childbirth and childcare to combat declining birth rates. She criticized inconsistent policies, likening them to “cat’s eye governance,” which could discourage families from having children. Current measures include subsidies for painless childbirth and free childcare for firstborns. Looking ahead to 2024, Koike announced plans to address school absenteeism among first graders by establishing model schools in collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science.
