英訳版↓
- No. 1302 Children and Families Agency Starts Operation
The Children and Families Agency started working April 1, 2023. Premier Kishida Fumio has repeatedly said that the government would ‘double the budgets for children’, proposing a brave plan, calling it ‘an extraordinary policy package to tackle the low birthrate problem’. Can we simply expect some improvements in the policies?
PRIME MINISTER’S RHETORIC IS A SHOW
Last June two laws came into effect; the Basic Act on Children and the Act to Establish Children and Families Agency. The Japanese government ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child in 1994, but the administrations have not worked on coordinating relevant laws on the ground that children are well protected by the Child Welfare Act and others.
In parallel with the establishment of the said agency, the Basic Act on Children was legislated via a proposal of the Diet members (implemented on April 1), which incorporates the four rules of the UN Convention; (1) prohibition of discrimination, (2) rights on life, survival and development, (3) the greatest benefit for the child and (4) respect for opinions of children. In this sense the law can be appreciated rightly.
An addition of ‘Families’
At first the government decided to name the organ ‘Children’s Agency’. But later the rightist group of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) advised to ‘make the name of the agency represent that a role of family is important’ (reportedly, the Unification Church may have involved). Thus, the agency was renamed the Children and Families Agency. We should not forget the process.
The Agency is an extra-ministerial bureau affiliated with the Cabinet Office and the director is President of the Children and Families Agency. In addition, Minister of State for Special Missions of Cabinet Office is nominated, to which Mr. Ogura Masanobu was appointed. The agency has staff of 430 (of which 350 work in the Internal Subdivisions and other 80 do in the related facilities). They have begun to work.
The budget for fiscal 2023 amounts in total 4.8104 trillion yen; in terms of the general account the sum is 1.4657 trillion yen and in terms of the special account on pensions it is 3.3447 trillion yen.
When comparing the amount with that of the previous fiscal to be transferred from the relevant agencies, it shows an increase by 123.3 billion yen (plus 2.6%). As for benefits on leave-of-work for childcare, the amount is 762.5 billion yen, which is allocated in the special account of labor insurance under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. As for the budgets managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science and Technology, allocations were made for the compulsory education and the assistance for high school students, amounts of which are 1.5216 trillion yen for the former and 428.3 billion yen for the latter.
Mass media report the total of the children-related budgets as a sum around 6 trillion yen, but when calculating the said items, the total reaches 7.5228 trillion yen. If we estimate the total in accordance with the statement of Prime Minister Kishida, who told to increase two-fold, approximately 15 trillion yen will be necessary.
Will the government transfer money from the military budget?
The government presented March 31 the ‘extraordinary policy package to tackle low birthrate problem’ which Premier Kishida has approved. Its major pillars constitute greater economic assistance, better services for children and childcare and the reform in the working styles. The policy will be implemented from the fiscal 2024 for three years as an ‘intensive commitment period’. These are the designs presented by the constitutional opposition parties for years, and now the government has adopted them concretely.
The problem lies in the financial terms. The government says it will show sources for the budgets in June. If monetary resources are uncertain, the plan will end up being a pie in the sky. Even if the government gives up the military spending of 43 trillion yen in five years and transfers some part to contribute to children, the money is not sufficient.
昨年６月、「こども基本法」と「こども家庭庁設置法」が成立した。日本は１９９４年に「子どもの権利条約」を批准したが、児童福祉法などで子どもは守られていると、法整備をしてこなかった。
こども家庭庁設置法と並行して、こども基本法が議員立法で成立（４月１日施行）、子どもの権利条約の４つの原則（①差別の禁止、②生命、生存及び発達に対する権利、③子どもの最善の利益、④子どもの意見の尊重）が取り込まれたことは評価できる。
横やりで「家庭」が
一方、政府が当初は「こども庁」としていた名称が、自民党右派の「家庭の役割を重視した名称に」との意見を取り入れ（統一教会絡みとも）、「こども家庭庁」になった経緯を忘れてはならない。
こども家庭庁は、内閣府の外局で長はこども家庭庁長官。内閣府特命担当相がおり、小倉將信氏が就任している。組織は、４３０人（内部部局３５０人、施設等機関80人）でスタートしている。
23年度の子ども・子育て予算は、こども家庭庁関連として総額４兆８１０４億円、一般会計分が１兆４６５７億円、年金特別会計分が３兆３４４７億円だ。
子ども関連省庁から移管される昨年度予算との比較では、総額１２３３億円増（＋２・６％）である。育児休業給付は、厚生労働省の労働保険特別会計に計上されており、７６２５億円。また、文科省予算では、義務教育費に１兆５２１６億円、高校生等への就学支援に４２８３億円が計上された。
子ども関連予算は現在６兆円程度と報道されることが多いが、以上を合計すると７兆５２２８億円になる。岸田首相の言うように、予算を倍増すると約15兆円が必要となる。
軍拡予算回しても
政府は３月31日、岸田首相が掲げる「異次元の少子化対策」のたたき台を発表した。柱は、経済的支援の強化、子ども・子育てサービスの拡充、働き方改革で、24年度から３年間を「集中取組期間」とした。立憲野党が掲げてきた政策をようやく取り入れた。
問題は財源だ。異次元の対策の財源は６月に出すという。財源が確定しなければ「絵に描いた餅」に終わる。５年間で43兆円の軍事費をやめて子どもに回しても、不足する。
英訳版↓
-
No. 1302 Children and Families Agency Starts Operation
The Children and Families Agency started working April 1, 2023. Premier Kishida Fumio has repeatedly said that the government would ‘double the budgets for children’, proposing a brave plan, calling it ‘an extraordinary policy package to tackle the low birthrate problem’. Can we simply expect some improvements in the policies?
PRIME MINISTER’S RHETORIC IS A SHOW
Last June two laws came into effect; the Basic Act on Children and the Act to Establish Children and Families Agency. The Japanese government ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child in 1994, but the administrations have not worked on coordinating relevant laws on the ground that children are well protected by the Child Welfare Act and others.
In parallel with the establishment of the said agency, the Basic Act on Children was legislated via a proposal of the Diet members (implemented on April 1), which incorporates the four rules of the UN Convention; (1) prohibition of discrimination, (2) rights on life, survival and development, (3) the greatest benefit for the child and (4) respect for opinions of children. In this sense the law can be appreciated rightly.
An addition of ‘Families’
At first the government decided to name the organ ‘Children’s Agency’. But later the rightist group of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) advised to ‘make the name of the agency represent that a role of family is important’ (reportedly, the Unification Church may have involved). Thus, the agency was renamed the Children and Families Agency. We should not forget the process.
The Agency is an extra-ministerial bureau affiliated with the Cabinet Office and the director is President of the Children and Families Agency. In addition, Minister of State for Special Missions of Cabinet Office is nominated, to which Mr. Ogura Masanobu was appointed. The agency has staff of 430 (of which 350 work in the Internal Subdivisions and other 80 do in the related facilities). They have begun to work.
The budget for fiscal 2023 amounts in total 4.8104 trillion yen; in terms of the general account the sum is 1.4657 trillion yen and in terms of the special account on pensions it is 3.3447 trillion yen.
When comparing the amount with that of the previous fiscal to be transferred from the relevant agencies, it shows an increase by 123.3 billion yen (plus 2.6%). As for benefits on leave-of-work for childcare, the amount is 762.5 billion yen, which is allocated in the special account of labor insurance under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. As for the budgets managed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Science and Technology, allocations were made for the compulsory education and the assistance for high school students, amounts of which are 1.5216 trillion yen for the former and 428.3 billion yen for the latter.
Mass media report the total of the children-related budgets as a sum around 6 trillion yen, but when calculating the said items, the total reaches 7.5228 trillion yen. If we estimate the total in accordance with the statement of Prime Minister Kishida, who told to increase two-fold, approximately 15 trillion yen will be necessary.
Will the government transfer money from the military budget?
The government presented March 31 the ‘extraordinary policy package to tackle low birthrate problem’ which Premier Kishida has approved. Its major pillars constitute greater economic assistance, better services for children and childcare and the reform in the working styles. The policy will be implemented from the fiscal 2024 for three years as an ‘intensive commitment period’. These are the designs presented by the constitutional opposition parties for years, and now the government has adopted them concretely.
The problem lies in the financial terms. The government says it will show sources for the budgets in June. If monetary resources are uncertain, the plan will end up being a pie in the sky. Even if the government gives up the military spending of 43 trillion yen in five years and transfers some part to contribute to children, the money is not sufficient.
April 12, 2023