The government plans to make handouts totaling ?100,000 for pregnant women after they conceive to after they give birth a permanent fixture in fiscal 2025.
The plan, revealed by the Children and Families Agency on Tuesday during an experts panel meeting, entails handing out a total of ?100,000 ($660) to all residents of Japan who are pregnant, when expecting mothers report their pregnancy to their local municipality office.
The government started the handout program in January, funded from last year＊s supplementary budget, but the latest move is expected to make the program permanent.
The financial aid comes hand-in-hand with consultation support that encourages expecting mothers to have meetings with midwives or municipal officials throughout their pregnancy, during which they can ask for advice and information on childbirth.
Under the program, women who are pregnant will be given ?50,000 during their first consultation meeting with midwives or other municipal officials after they report their pregnancy. The remaining aid will be given after the mother submits the newborn＊s birth certificate or during another meeting.
If the mother gives birth to more than one child, she will be given ?50,000 for each child born.
The handout would be awarded in cash or coupons that can be used for childbirth and child-rearing products, or as financial aid for post-childbirth care and babysitters.
With the handouts and the consultation program, the government is aiming to lessen the anxiety and financial burden expecting mothers may face.
Increasing financial support in the hopes of encouraging more couples to start a family is also an attempt by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida＊s administration to reverse the declining birthrate trend.
In April, a ?420,000 subsidy to cover hospital fees for women who gave birth was bumped up to ?500,000. Last month, the children and families agency announced that they would resume issuing babysitter discount coupons, another popular program that offers financial assistance to child-rearing families.
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