November 15, 2023

Addressing the most pressing social needs in Japanese society, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), on November 13, the Employment Insurance Subcommittee of the 186th Labor Policy Council’s Employment Stability Subcommittee was held, and the direction for reviewing childcare leave benefits and education and training benefits was shown. Japan’s increased childcare leave and other benefits are a welcome development in these difficult economic times and changing societal needs.

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MHLW announces the following plans following the committee meetings of November 13, 2023.  There are significant related materials available on the MHLW website, all in Japanese. Links to all related benefit program developments can be found at the end of this article.

Increased childcare leave benefits

If both the insured person and his spouse take childcare leave for a certain period or more within a certain period after the birth of the child (including adopted child) (for example, a man takes “postpartum dad childcare leave” for a certain period or more, and the woman takes maternity leave, and 8 weeks after maternity leave If you take childcare leave within), the benefit rate will be raised from the current 67% (equivalent to 80% take-home pay) to about 80% (equivalent to 10% take-home pay) for 28 days (the same period as postpartum parental leave).

Childcare time-saving employment benefits

If the insured person works shorter hours to raise a child under 2 years old, benefits will be provided to compensate for the decline in wages and encourage the use of reduced working hours.

Education and training benefits

We will study the method of effect verification and strive to collect and analyze data so that it is possible to consider more effective benefits and course designation. In addition, due to the ubiquity of designated courses by region and type, we will actively promote the dissemination and publicity of the system.

We are also considering new measures for each of the current three types of education and training benefits: professional practical education and training benefits, specific general education and training benefits, and general education and training benefits

• Professional practical education and training benefits: How about considering new additional benefits based on the current system? At that time, how about considering it as a requirement to evaluate the improvement of treatment such as wage increases as a training effect?
• Specific general education and training benefits: How about considering new additional benefits? At that time, how about considering the direction of establishing additional benefits that require qualifications and being employed, such as the current professional practical education and training benefits?
• Regarding education and training support benefits (provisional measures), based on the results of the questionnaire to the participants, consider whether to extend the provisional measures after considering the subjects who are under 45 years old and the benefits. Hm.

New benefit and loan system to support life during training

Establishment of new benefits and loan systems

• Based on the subjects of other systems such as the job seeker support system and the contents of benefits, etc., as a mechanism that all workers can use, etc., consider a specific system design
• I don’t know.
• If you take leave to receive education and training, how about considering a specific system design in the following directions to support the attendance of education and training by providing necessary benefits, enhancing the employment ability of workers, and stabilizing employment?
• Target: It will be paid if the insured gets leave for education and training.
• Benefit content: It will be a benefit equivalent to the basic allowance.

New loan

1. If you need education and training costs and living expenses to receive education and training, we will consider specific system design in the following directions to support the participation of education and training by providing necessary loans, improving workers’ employment ability, and stabilizing employment. 

Target: As with the 1 job seeker support system, those who are insured or not eligible to receive employment insurance (employers and leavers who do not cover employment insurance, those who have finished receiving employment insurance, those who aim to be employed by freelancers, etc.)

2. Regarding certain people such as those with work experience?

Loan content: 1 covers education and training expenses and living expenses.

Education and training subject to loans are limited to education and training provided by universities, graduate schools, junior colleges, technical colleges, vocational schools, or various schools based on the School Education Act, 2 Education and training provided by corporations that have been designated as courses for education and training benefits How about that?

3. If you meet certain requirements after completing education and training, there may be an incentive to waive a certain percentage of the remaining debt. As a certain requirement, to reflect the education and training received in wages, etc., we will also address the issue of wages rising after completing the training.

Resources: The Subcommittee’s related benefit program documents are all available here. 

182nd Labor Policy Council Employment Security Subcommittee Employment Insurance Subcommittee

182nd meeting [PDF format: 50KB]

[Document 1-1] Outline of Ministerial Ordinance to Partial Revision of the Employment Insurance Law Enforcement Regulations [PDF Format: 632KB]

[Document 1-2] Summary of the draft ministerial ordinance to amend part of the Enforcement Regulations of the Employment Insurance Law [PDF format: 467KB]

[Document 2] Overview of the employment insurance system [PDF format: 2.1MB]

[Document 3] Major indicators of the employment insurance system [PDF format: 540KB]

[Document 4] Financial management of the employment insurance system [PDF format: 1.9MB]

[Document 5] Reform of economic and financial management and basic policy (thick policy) etc. [PDF format: 337KB]

[Document 6] Main issues of the Employment Insurance Subcommittee (draft) [PDF format: 66KB]

[Document 7] About the current status of basic allowances, etc. [PDF format: 3.4MB]

[Reference 1] History of the system revision [PDF format: 554KB]

[Reference 2-1] 2020 Employment Insurance Subcommittee Report [PDF format: 331KB]

[Reference 2-2] Report of the 167th Employment Insurance Subcommittee [PDF format: 124KB]

[Reference 3] Supplementary resolution on the amendment bill of the Employment Insurance Act [PDF format: 1.6MB]

[Reference 4] Interim Report of the Employment Insurance System Study Group (May 2020) [PDF format: 680KB]

List of members of the Employment Insurance Subcommittee of the Employment Security Subcommittee [PDF format: 106KB]

Again, Japan’s increased childcare leave and other benefits are a welcome development in these difficult economic times and changing societal needs.