Tokyo governor Koike Announces that children aged 0-18 will receive around 5,000 yen a month, with no income limit, and about 1.9 million people eligible.

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1. Governor Koike has announced that all children aged 0-18 living in Tokyo will receive around 5,000 yen per month as a measure to combat the declining birth rate.

   Mother of one child.
   ‘I am in favour of it because I am happy to get it.’

   A monthly benefit of around 5,000 yen for children under 18 years of age. This was a surprise, so to speak, when Governor Koike suddenly announced it in her New Year’s address to the staff of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

   Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike.
   ‘We are now facing a silent threat. It is the declining birthrate. The current situation no longer allows for a moment’s respite.”

   Governor Koike expressed a sense of crisis over the declining birthrate and stated that the government’s measures are insufficient, and announced her intention to provide all children aged 0-18 in Tokyo with a monthly benefit of around 5,000 yen per person.

   There are approximately 1.9 million eligible children in Tokyo.

   Mother of two.
   ‘It’s not too much, but I would be grateful if I could receive even 5,000 yen. (Q. What would you spend it on?) ‘Yes, I would~’
   Child
   ‘Let’s buy some toys!’
   Mother of two children
   ‘I don’t think I’ll buy toys, maybe I’ll use it for lessons.’

   Mother of two
   ‘If we had more money, I’d like to think about having a third child, but then there’s the nursery school issue to think about financially.’

   Why 5,000 yen per month? The Tokyo Metropolitan Government cites the fact that the monthly cost of education is approximately 5,000 yen higher than in the rest of the country as the reason. For this reason, there is no income limit.

   Experts on the issue of declining birthrates say that the effect of the ¥5,000 benefit is…

   Professor Masahiro Yamada, Chuo University, an expert on the issue of falling birthrates
   The reason why people don’t have a second or third child is because it costs money to raise and educate a child. I think it will have some effect on those people.”

   After pointing this out, he says that it is important to take measures for those who are thinking of having children in the future.

   Professor Masahiro Yamada, Chuo University, an expert on the issue of falling birthrates
   ‘Rather than saying they can’t have children because they don’t have enough money now, they choose not to because they are more worried about the money they will have to spend on their children in the future. It would be more effective to eliminate their worries about future school fees.”

   The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will decide on the timing of the start of benefits and the method of distribution in the future.

2. Source: https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/260788

   Yahoo JP source: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/b285e12eb8f566b434a482eaa7c28105edb3d0df

   Yahoo JP comments: https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/b285e12eb8f566b434a482eaa7c28105edb3d0df/comments

   note: article was in Japanese-written