Japan: universal childcare access ("Kodomo dare-demo") rolls out nationwide

From April 2026 Japan rolled out the "Childcare for All Children" scheme nationwide, scrapping the requirement that parents prove a work-based "need for childcare." Children aged 6 months–2 years can attend daycare up to 10 hours a month regardless of parental employment, paired with free standard childbirth and a ¥20,000-per-child payment.

A pro-natal, pro-family policy reframing childcare as universal access rather than a work subsidy — a distinct model from the UK's work-conditional "free hours."