ABSTRACT
Since the introduction of the child welfare reform legislation in 1996, childcare has become one of the most widely debated policy issues in Japan. The debates have ranged from the topic of how should childcare be arranged, who should care for children under what circumstances, what should be the role of the state with respect to childcare, and how the cost of childcare should be arranged. For many outside observers the childcare system in Japan may appear quite generous (Boling 1998), and the current reform may seem to signify a further progressive step towards greater socialization of childcare. After all, about one-fifth of all pre-school-age children in Japan are in public childcare, and the national figure shows that there are still more spaces available, as the total childcare enrolment rate is only about 87 per cent of the available spaces (Japan – Ministry of Health and Welfare 1998). However, a closer examination of the current childcare system and the nature of the recent reform reveals a rather different story
