The Democratic Party of Japan is having difficulty handling a key election promise — the monthly child allowance — because of financial constraints. The Hatoyama administration has included the monthly ¥13,000 allowance for each child 15 years old or younger in the fiscal 2010 budget, and the total cost reaches ¥2.255 trillion.
The allowance will be paid from June regardless of family income. It is based on the idea that society as a whole is responsible for rearing children and that child-rearing families are entitled to receive support from society.
Japan devotes only 0.81 percent of its gross domestic product to family support, while the corresponding figure for Britain, France and Sweden exceeds 3 percent. Although the DPJ's idea entails a permanent program, the fiscal 2010 allowance is based on legislation that's effective for only one year due to budget considerations.