Japan Provides Income Support to Parents Amid 'School Closure Controversy'... "Full Compensation Within the Cap"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] As the Japanese government requested all schools nationwide to close starting from the 2nd to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), it has decided to fully compensate wages within a set limit for guardians of children in elementary school or younger who take leave for childcare reasons. This proactive response by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government came amid growing controversy following the sudden announcement of school closures.

According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and others, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on the same day that it would establish a system to fully compensate wages for guardians who take leave from work to care for children attending elementary schools and below. The system is limited to guardians of children attending kindergartens, childcare facilities, elementary schools, and special support schools.

The daily wage cap is set at 8,330 yen (approximately 92,300 KRW), and the leave applies only to the period from February 27 to March 31. The Japanese government plans to fund this through employment insurance and provide equal payments to both large and small-to-medium enterprises. For part-time workers not enrolled in employment insurance, funds will be secured from the general account, according to Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

The government's active involvement in childcare issues related to COVID-19 is due to the unexpectedly large controversy domestically over this measure. Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Abe unilaterally decided on the full closure of elementary, junior high, and high schools. On the evening of February 27, he suddenly announced, "We request temporary school closures from March 2 until spring break," causing confusion among dual-income families and others.

On the day the closures took effect, some local governments and schools set up separate temporary spaces to care for children whose dual-income parents could not find alternative childcare arrangements. Foreign media also reported cases where employees chose telecommuting or companies delayed employees' commuting times.

Koichi Hagiuda, Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, who is in charge of the relevant department, admitted at the House of Councillors Budget Committee on the same day that he only learned of the related details on the day of the announcement. Earlier, the Asahi Shimbun reported that Minister Hagiuda opposed the full school closure, citing concerns about how to handle compensation for parents, such as dual-income families, who would need to take leave, but Prime Minister Abe did not accept these opinions.

At the Budget Committee, Minister Hagiuda said, "I thought coordinating with local governments over a certain period would minimize confusion, but there was a sense of crisis that we did not know what would happen tomorrow in municipalities where no patients had been reported, so we decided to close schools nationwide at once," and asked for understanding, according to Mainichi. However, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party criticized, "The fact that the responsible minister only learned on the day is evidence of an impulsive response."

Prime Minister Abe, who appeared at the same session, said regarding the school closure situation, "Above all, children's health and safety are the most important. We must do everything possible to prevent outbreaks of group infections at schools," and added, "If there is a rapid spread of infection in certain areas in the future, it is important to always assume the worst-case scenario and prepare in advance for any necessary measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.