Almost 80 percent of the privately run nurseries in Japan that care for infants at night fail to meet government operational guidelines, according to a health ministry survey.

Of the 1,043 facilities surveyed, 77.9 percent, or 812 facilities, failed to meet the guidelines. Only 231 were found to be in compliance.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's survey on unauthorized "baby hotels" for fiscal 2001 found that 441 facilities lacked the proper setups to deal with emergency situations, 437 did not adequately meet health-care needs and 282 had staffing problems. Some facilities failed to meet two or more of the guidelines.

Local governments have given the centers written warnings, instructing them to make improvements. No facilities were ordered to discontinue operations.

The nurseries are increasingly popular with parents who work nights, the survey showed, and more than 53.3 percent of their charges are under the age of 3.

It is the first time for such nurseries to be surveyed since the government introduced guidelines in fiscal 2000 following a series of fatal incidents.

The popularity of baby hotels -- most of which are in urban areas and provide care by the hour -- reflects the limited services offered by authorized day-care centers.

As of late March this year, 1,184 baby hotels were in operation, an increase of 140 facilities from last year. The number of infants in care also increased by 1,181 to 26,442.

In contrast, authorized child-care centers that are open until 10 p.m. only numbered 117 out of the 22,000, as of Oct. 1, 2000, the health ministry said.

While about one-third of these nurseries can take care of infants on a 24-hour basis, only a few authorized child-care facilities are able to do the same, according to the ministry.