I’ve seen a lot of posts lately asking questions about maternity/paternity leave, childcare and the like, and I’ve just been through it with my own family (oldest is going into Yochien next April; younger is one gakunen below). I’ve certainly learned a lot and there could have been some things I prepared for better, so I’ll just leave this here. (NOTE: I’m not an expert by any means, so if something is incorrect or I’ve misrepresented the information please correct me and I’ll edit).
LEAVE
1 – pre-birth leave (6-8 weeks before due date) This is only given to the birthing parent, and the exact length depends on the employer, but at least 6 weeks is pretty standard. The leave should guarantee position in the company until postpartum leave (2) kicks in, but the compensation during this leave is handled by the employer, and can vary based on where one works. Likely taxable as it is paid by employer.
2 – Postpartum leave (from birth to 8 weeks after birth; initially calculated as 8 weeks after due date, then adjusted once child is born) This is also only given to birthing parent, and guarantees position until parental leave (3) kicks in. Like pre-birth leave, it is handled by the employer, but the compensation and policy might differ slightly, as it is considered a different type of leave. Likely taxable as it is paid by employer.
3 – Parental leave (starts 8 weeks after birth and ends when the child turns 1, or 14 months in some circumstances). This can be taken by both parents. It guarantees the position in the company during leave, and the government pays for the compensation during the leave (though I think it is quite common for the application process to go through one’s employer). From what I understand, the most common compensation package is 67% of your salary at first, then 50% once the child turns 6 months. (However, this might be different based on income caps or certain low-income situations). This income is tax-free. (More on why this matters later). Also, parental leave can be extended beyond a year but you need hard proof that you’ve applied and been rejected by public daycares due to limited spots.
4 – Paternity leave (up to 4 weeks, taken during other parent’s postpartum leave period) This is for fathers (non-birthing legally recognized parents) to take time off during the first 8 weeks after birth. I’m less familiar with the exact details of this as our family didn’t utilize it, but apparently it pays 67% of salary but there is a daily cap. This also can be taken in one four-week chunk or split up.
CHILDCARE ALLOWANCES
Separate from leave pay, municipalities offer childcare allowances (jido-teate; jido-fuyo-teate). There’s a standard allowance, and also special allowances for low-income single parents. Your income likely impacts at least some of this, so check with your ward or city hall.
Employers will sometimes offer their own, separate child allowances and also sometimes spouse allowances if your spouse is a dependent that works under a certain limit or salary (defined by employer).
Check with your employers.
Even for those who don’t have a tidy martial situation and/or spouse isn’t on company health insurance, some employers also have dependent allowance provisions for partners and other live-in relatives. (In my case, I was surprised and happy to find out my employer offered this).
DAYCARE / CHILDCARE
(Note: for those whose municipality offers free daycare regardless of income, this section may be less relevant).
Public – (licensed ‘ninka’) daycares are usually applied-for via ward office/city hall. Priority for spots (in the case of high demand) takes into account things like single vs. married, both parents’ working status, etc. Applications even ask questions about other family living in the home with you. It is usually the case that both parents have to work a minimum number of hours per week to get a spot in a daycare like this. The daycare fee, if accepted into to a daycare is based on income using tax information from the previous year (usually jumin-zei). This is really important. For example, if you are looking to put your child in daycare in April 2026, they’re going to look at the tax information from 2025, which is actually your income in 2024.
Private – (unlicensed ‘ninkagai’) daycares are applied for at each daycare. As they are private, they have their own policies, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a system for priority if there is too high of demand for spots. They might, for example, select their fixed-spots based on the number of other children in a certain age range and what works best for their business model.
Part-time – (ichiji azukari) daycare is usually available at both public and private. In addition to fixed spots, daycares have an allotment of spaces that can be applied for on a part-time basis. In my experience, this is just sporadic (non-regular); parents apply when needed and, dependent on how much demand, it isn’t guaranteed. (Side note: my family has tried to use this system for my partner’s part-time work, but it is a bit of a disaster and we can’t get guaranteed spots on fixed days. Perhaps other municipalities have better systems).
Yochien – (pre-school / nursery school) is less of childcare and more the start of ‘free’ public education from age 3. While there are usually costs involved, there isn’t a childcare fee like at daycares. Yochiens usually end their day early though, around 2 or 3pm.
GOING BACK AFTER LEAVE
Although the government guarantees leave until the child is 1, daycares usually take applications in October and children start in April. For those who need to secure childcare right away before returning to work, this timing can be a critical thing, and can impact when you return to work (I found my second child, an autumn baby, to pose certain challenges with this timing). If you live in an area with high daycare demand, don’t miss the boat for October applications! even if you’ve just had the child!
Employers are required to choose from a list of accommodations (like adjusting start or end times, allowing remote work, at-work childcare, etc.) Actually, the requirements have just been updated this month; you can read about it in the news. In the past, even when they met the legal requirements though, it oftentimes wasn’t enough (so given recent news I hope it gets better). If you have a long work commute or daycares are farther away, I recommend to plan ahead in terms of your strategy. (In the case of my partner, switching jobs closer to home was our solution).
QUITTING AFTER PARENTAL LEAVE AND UNEMPLOYMENT
Technically, though frowned upon, it is perfectly legal to quit after the parental leave period ends, and seek employment after that, which may qualify one for unemployment benefits. There are a lot of certain conditions that have to be met, but this isn’t impossible, and could be a way to span an unavoidable career gap.
(In my case, this happened to my partner because a plan to return to work was in place, but when it came time, we couldn’t make the daycare situation work with a 9-5 private daycare, long commute, and the employer’s hour-adjustment accommodations weren’t enough …and they didn’t budge past legal requirements, unfortunately; it’s too bad the updated requirements of this month weren’t in place at that time). The better solution was to change jobs, work closer to home, and that’s exactly what my partner did. Fortunately the unemployment gap was very brief in our case, but unemployment was available nonetheless.
One thing to be careful in this situation is that when daycare demand is high, being employed at the time of application is critical for getting priority for a spot in a public daycare. Otherwise, you may get caught in a catch-22 loop of not being able to work due to lack of childcare, and thus not being able to secure childcare due to unemployment.
REFLECTIONS AND STRATEGY
When I had my first child, for work-related reasons, I chose to work up until 2 weeks before the due date (could have taken longer but didn’t) and I went back when my son was 11 months (could’ve waited until age 1 but it worked better with my work schedule). I was fortunate to have my employer pay out full salary during my postpartum leave. I also got my bonuses during my leave as they are calculated from the previous year’s earnings. While this was great in terms of getting money while on leave, it left me with quite a bit of taxable income during that first year of my son’s life. Fast forward -and due to this – the public daycare costs were more than I expected, we ended up going with private as the cost was similar (perhaps slightly less).
One positive thing was that this particular tax year was a lifesaver for applying for a mortgage- which I happened to do that year. Incidental, yes, but relevant for those needing a loan approved.
Another thing that happened that was impactful is my partner (who took the parental leave for our second child) started working only part-time after that. The leave + part-time has made our taxable income much lower, and therefore daycare costs should be more affordable for us now (from what I understand at least…we still haven’t applied for next April yet though. Taxes for 2025 return will be much lower though).
In the end, for those parents who work, the childcare during a two-year period from age 1-3 can be one of the biggest expenses. This is especially true for those who earned a lot of taxable income during the period that’s used as a basis for calculating daycare fees. If there is even a little savings to get by during that 1st year, it could perhaps be a good strategy to have the highest earner – or better yet both parents – take the parental leave. This puts them on untaxed income for several months, which in theory would lower the costs of taxes and daycare after that. Also, going part-time after returning to work can have the same effect (also working less means more time to spend with kids and family while the kids are young). Remember this is just bridging that two-year span. Once things are calculated for that second year (age 2-3), resuming full time work doesn’t seem like it will impact much because Yochien starts at 3, and there’s no dealing with daycare fees after that. Perhaps this would be the best strategy to maximize time with the young child (/children) while also negotiating a way to hang on to the career. Whether or not it is successful in practice may be another thing, though. The updated requirements for employers (as of this month) might help this, so good to know your rights.
My main reflection has been that I wish I had known many of these things in advance, and planned better. The second time around I learned to ask, ask, ask.
If any other senpai out there have things to add, I’d very much appreciate it, as we are still just at the beginning of all of this.
by irishtwinsons