According to the single-parent family survey report released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in April 2020, there are 1.232 million single-parent mother-child families in Japan, while there are 187,000 single-parent and father-child families.

With the continuous development of society, people's life burden and work pressure are increasing, which has also led to an increasing divorce rate. According to the single-parent family survey report released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in April 2020, there are 1.232 million single-parent mother-child families in Japan, while there are 187,000 single-parent and father-child families.

It can be seen from the data that the number of single-mother and child families is about 6.6 times that of single-parent and father-child families! Among the causes of single-mother and child families, divorce accounts for 79.5%, pregnancy before marriage accounts for 8.7%, and bereavement accounts for 8%.

In single-parent families, 81.8% of mothers are employed and 85.4% of fathers are employed. Although the proportion of single mothers who are employed is not small, more than half of them work part-time, temporary workers and other informal employees, so their income is low, with an average annual income of only 2 million yen. You can imagine how stressful life is financially.

So what should single-parent families do if their income is low and life is difficult? Don't worry too much, the Japanese government still has a lot of subsidies for these people.

1. Child support assistance

The so-called child support assistance is a subsidy provided by the government to single-parent families raising children. The amount of the subsidy is determined based on the income of the single dependent parent.

The usual monthly subsidy for one child is 10,180 to 43,160 yen; for two children, an additional 5,100 to 10,190 yen is added to the original subsidy; for three or more children, an additional 3,060 to 6,110 yen is added to the original subsidy.

2, Medical Expense Subsidy

The "Medical Expense Subsidy System for Single-Parent Families" is a system where the local government provides subsidies when single parents, their children, or people without parents to support their children receive treatment in the hospital.

The amount of out-of-pocket subsidy depends on inpatient and outpatient services, but basically, if the treatment is covered by insurance, it will be fully subsidized. Items that are not covered by insurance, such as differential bed fees, health examinations, vaccinations, etc., are not eligible for subsidies.

Under normal circumstances, medical treatment for a single mother or father is almost free, and the fee you need to pay is only about 1,000 yen. In other words, if you spend 10,000 yen on medical treatment during this month, all the excess 1,000 yen will be returned to you.

Something to note is that this system, like the "child support package", has income limits, and the amounts vary in different regions.

3, schooling support, higher vocational education welfare fund

Children who have difficulty going to school due to financial reasons will be provided with school supplies, school lunches, tuition fees, etc. by municipalities . The conditions and content of support will vary depending on where they live.

Vocational Training Welfare Fund is a system that provides subsidies for single parents’ living expenses during their training for the purpose of obtaining qualifications.

Single parents who want to obtain qualifications as nurses, childcare workers, occupational therapists, etc., during the training period, the government will generally provide a monthly subsidy of 100,000 yen during the training period in order to reduce the living expenses burden of single-parent families. .

4, transportation subsidy, housing subsidy

The government will issue regular train tickets, which can be discounted at 30%. Since train fares in Japan are still quite expensive, the 30% discount will be much cheaper.

Housing subsidies are not available in every place. It also depends on where you live to determine whether you have this policy. Generally, the subsidy is about 10,000 yen a month. If you are not sure, you can go to your local ward office for detailed consultation.

Affected by the epidemic, life is already difficult, and it is even more difficult for single parents to raise their children. It costs far more to raise a child than we think. These government subsidies have alleviated the pressure on single-parent families to a certain extent.

Do you also know what subsidies Japan has for single-parent families? Welcome to chat with Xiaomei!