Act on the welfare of workers who take care of children or other family members including child care and family care leave

Introduction The Act on the Welfare of Workers for Child Care Leave (Act No. 76 of 1991, hereinafter “the Act on Child Care Leave”), established in Japan on May 8, 1991, allows workers to take child care leave regardless of sex. Since the act was put into effect on April 1 the following year, any worker with a child, regardless of sex, is permitted to take child care leave by requesting it from his or her employer. In the last 15 years since the act was put into effect, drastic changes have taken place in the social environment as well as in public awareness. It is not necessarily inaccurate to claim that these changes have been promoted by legislation giving both male and female workers the right to take child care leave. In the last 15 years, substantial revisions have been made to the Act on Child Care Leave with the incorporation of a provision on family care leave as well as a series of important revisions to facilitate a worker’s use of the system. The main reasons for such changes include the persistently declining birthrate, which is one of the decisive factors in legislation, and the aging population problem that has not been alleviated. It can be said that the Child Care Leave System has been revised since we are entering a period with fewer children and a perpetually aging population. Based on the Act on Child Care Leave, later revised to the Act on the Welfare of Workers Who Take Care of Children or Other Family Members Including Child Care and Family Care Leave (hereinafter called “the Act on Child and Family Care Leave”), this paper introduces an outline of the Child Care Leave and Family Care Leave Systems, which establish rights for workers who have children or family members requiring care.