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Prewar Policies
Japanese family policy in the early twentieth century was limited. Early Japanese industrialization was textile based and relied on female participation. These daycares were not intended to provide educational services and were directed toward low-income families. They were also primarily run privately by individuals or interest groups who were given government subsidies.

Japan pushed for these reforms during periods of rapid industrialization and war but slowed its efforts during peacetime. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) saw an increase in daycare centers but by 1912, the 2,200 centers decreased to 18.

In the 1890’s, coal mines and spinning factories introduced day-care centers (kōjō takujisho). The number of daycares waxed and waned with female production in the workforce. As heavy industry replaced textiles and mining and the workforce became more male dominated, many daycares were closed.

The Factory Act of 1911 set minimum standard for health and safety, established a 12-hour work day for women and children, and introduced a five-week maternity leave. Its revision in 1923 added breaks for nursing women, decreased the work day to 11 hours for women and children, and extended maternity leave by four weeks of prenatal leave and sic weeks of postnatal leave.

Rice riots in 1917 prompted an increase social spending. By 1923, 65% of the Home Ministry’s social projects budget went to orphanages, clinics, and day-care centers.

Postwar Policies
Family policies became more progressive in the postwar era and were introduced to the occupied Japan by the U.S..

The Labor Standards Law (1947) ended gender discrimination through wage discrimination and established equal treatment (byōdō taigū) by exacting penalties on offending employers. The law guaranteed women 12 weeks of maternity leave at 60% of their wage, financed by the health and social insurance fund. However, the law indirectly harmed women in the workforce by not allowing them to work hazardous or nighttime jobs and heavily limiting the hours they were allowed to work overtime.

The 1947 Child Welfare Law introduced benefits such as provisions for day-care centers and mother-child dorms to combat the number of widows and orphans after World War II. Although originally, the law was needs-based, it was extended to include all children. However, this posed problems when demand exceeded supply and issues between the Ministry of Education (which oversaw kindergartens) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (in charge of childcare). By 1951, revisions to the law limited access to childcare through a stricter definition of children “lacking care” (hoiku ni kakeru kodomo) and established a placement system (sochi seido) with fees based on calculations by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Child care centers managed by the state and non-profit groups conformed to the eight hours of care a day mandated by the MHW, which did not meet needs of parents with full-time jobs, and could only accept children through the placement program and accept the placement fee.