An increasing number of Japanese companies are introducing employee benefits allowing parents to care for sick children, as more working parents returning from parental leave struggle to find care when their children fall ill.
For many families, options are limited. Hiring a private babysitter can be expensive, while municipally operated services for sick children often have strict eligibility requirements and too few openings to meet demand.
Amid such challenges, a service called Chokoiku, operated by a subsidiary of Nippon Life Insurance, is getting positive attention. It allows parents to arrange care for their sick children easily through a smartphone app. It can also be offered by companies as part of their employee benefits programs, helping to reduce the burden on working parents.
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