The number of elementary school children on waiting lists for gakudo hoiku?after-school care facilities in Japan fell for the second straight year, preliminary data showed Tuesday.
As of May 1, there were 14,713 children on the lists, down by 1,617 from the final figure a year before, according to the data from the Children and Families Agency.
The number of children registered as gakudo hoiku users rose by 31,392 to 1,602,037, hitting a record high.
By prefecture, Tokyo had the largest number of children on waiting lists, at 2,550, followed by Saitama at 1,370 and Hyogo at 1,341. Meanwhile, Fukui Prefecture had no children on waiting lists.
The agency disclosed for the first time the number of children on waiting lists for similar facilities local governments set up on their own initiative, reporting that the tally reached 3,030.
According to the agency, the number of children for whom places to stay after school need to be secured is declining due to the?improved capacity of facilities to accommodate children.
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