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2010/03/16
Legislation approving payment of child allowance for fiscal 2010 passes House of Representatives
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On March 16, debate over the legislation concerning payment of a child allowance for fiscal 2010 was held in the plenary session of the House of Representatives. DPJ Diet member Eriko Fukuda made a speech in favour of the legislation.
Prior to the debate, the Chair of the Committee on Health, Labour and Welfare, Osamu Fujimura, reported on the progress and result of deliberations regarding the legislation in the Committee, and explained the legislation contained the necessary clauses regarding the payment of a child allowance in fiscal 2010, in order to support the healthy upbringing of the children who are the future of society. He stated that amendments regarding a system to support children who would not be eligible for payments, such as those living in children’s homes and the like, and directed at considering the enhancement of overall measures relating to child-rearing support in fiscal 2011 and beyond, were submitted, and following a vote, both the amendments and the original legislation had been approved by a majority vote in the Committee, and that a revised decision had been made.
Following this, Fukuda emphasized that in order to encourage the upbringing of the next generation of children, the legislation would in fiscal 2010 provide a monthly child allowance of 13 000 yen for each child aged from 0 to graduation from junior high school. She said, “an equal amount of allowance will be provided for each child, without setting any cap on the parents’ income, and regardless of the age of the child or their order of birth.”
Fukuda went on to say, “If we look at the amount of budgetary funding directed at children in terms of GDP, Japan has one of the lowest levels amongst developed nations.” She added, “Up until now, here in Japan, the budgetary funding directed at children, who do not have the skills to speak up for themselves, has been put on the backburner.” She emphasized that the establishment of a child allowance would correct this situation, and be the first step toward creating a Japan in which children can be brought up securely.
At the same time, she stressed, “It goes without saying that purely economic support for children will be insufficient.” She referred to the fact that Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Nagatsuma had expressed in Committee the intention of engaging actively in providing an “allowance in kind” such as by strengthening daycare services, and stressed, “I believe that the economic burden of child-rearing should be borne by society as a whole to enable children to grow up and for parents to bring them up in security.”
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