February 2024

Action forChildren’sFuture

Pocket Book

Toward realization ofTokyo’s Children First,
implementation of concrete actions

By sincerely listening to views
and thoughts of children,from the viewpoint of ”the bestinterests of the child”

It is important above all to updatechild-oriented policies.

Based on “Action for Children’sFuture”, we will practicedialogue andcreate ”present”
and ”future”
together with children.

Action for Children’s Future 2024
Pocket Book

Contents
Reflecting Actual Situations, Views And Thoughtsof Children to Child-Oriented Policies

2Children’s Growing Up in Infancy

4Creation of Connection for Child Rearing

6

Promotion of “Play” Leading to Children’s Smiles

10

Creation of Circumstances to Protect Children
from Accidents

12

Support for Young Carers

14

Support for Children Whose Native Languages
Are Not Japanese

16

Youth Healthcare

18

Growing-Up of School-Age Children

20

Promotion of “Children’s Smile Movement”

22

Promotion of “Ikugyo”

24

3１

Reflecting Actual Situations,Views And Thoughts of Children
to Child-Oriented Policies
From the viewpoint of “the bestinterests of the child”, updating
child-oriented policies

Listening to children’s views widely
We listened to a number offrank views of children.
Approximately

７times

18,000 persons

2,500 people

FY 2022

FY 2023

Direction of strengthening policies•

２At each stage of understanding current
situations/planning/implementation etc.,
understanding children’s views andevidence (actual conditions and awareness),
flexibly updating child-oriented policies
according to the situations

Promotion of Child-Oriented Policies
Reflecting Children’s Views and Evidence

Planning
Views of18,000 children
Visit
LecturesInterviewing atchildren’s thirdplaces

Questionnaires
by making useof SNSChild monitor ofTokyo Metropolitan
GovernmentWorkshops etc.
in various
businesses

Understanding
currentsituations

Actual conditions
and awarenessImplementation

Fixed-point survey onchildren“Tokyo ChildQuestionnaire”

３Children’s Growing

Up in Infancy

Enriching learning andexperiencing for all the infants
In the era of VUCA, non-cognitive skills have beendrawing attention.
VUCA

Volatility

Uncertainty

Complexity Ambiguity

Non-cognitive skills
Mental abilities
related to oneself
・Self-esteem
・Self-approvement
・Motivation
・Persistence

Mental abilities
related to sociability
・Ability of mind tounderstand・Empathy・Thoughtfulness
・Cooperativity

Infancy＝important period to cultivate
non-cognitive skills

Direction of strengthening policies•４”Tokyo Sukuwaku Program” specific toTokyo is developed throughout TokyoWhat is Tokyo Sukuwaku Program?
Program that support making
progress/growing up（Sukusuku）×
curiosity/spirit of inquiry（Wakuwaku）
in kindergartens and nursery schools.

We will foster “what?” and “what is it?”as curiosity and spirit of inquiry to beabsorbed in playing with good care
For example・・・
Inquiry oflight Enjoying light that reflecting
in the water etc.

Inquiry ofsound Feeling vibration of sound byusing music instrument.

Through ”Sukuwaku Program”,
supporting growing up of mindof all infants５

Creation of Connection
for Child-Rearing
Prevention/resolution of loneliness andisolation of child-rearing by “connection”
Approximately 70% of families haveanxieties and concerns of child-rearing<About anxieties and concerns of child-rearing>
52.9
52.9%

14.9
14.9%
0%

20%

40%

24.4% 7.8%
60%

80%

100%

Always feel

Sometimes feel

Not really feel

Not feel at all（Material）Prepared based on “FY 2021 Survey and Study on Comprehensive Promotionof Home Education” by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

There is loneliness and isolation of childrearing families in the background<When do you feel “isolation and loneliness”?>
When I spend timealone with my child

61.2%

I have no friend to share myconcerns in the neighborhood

35.7%

I cannot join the circle ofcolleagues for childrearing

31.9%

I compared my childrearing with others’ one

31.3%

…

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

（Material） Prepared based on “Survey on Loneliness and Isolation during Child-Rearing”
researched by local community “PIAZZA” (conducted in October of 2020)

Direction of strengthening policies•６

Realizing delicate watching over forchild-rearing families

Child rearing support project
specific to Tokyo“Family Attendant” will

start at full scale from FY 2024!
Supporting municipalities that work onfamily attendant.

Supporting child rearing families
by outreach type
 Visit families that have babies
 Delivering supplies for childrearing together with childrearing information

Attendants close to child-rearing
families Conversation partner for people’s dailyworries about child-rearing Playing “together with” children
Going to government office andhospital “together with” people etc.
Support while escorting people

Creation of “connection”
with people

７Creation of Connection
for Child-Rearing
Preventing aggravation of anxieties andconcerns for children and child-rearing families
Not only child-rearing families but also
children themselves feel loneliness andisolation and seek for connection with others＜Whether you want to talk to somebody when you
feel loneliness and isolation, or feel sense of isolation

Among the persons who answered “feeling” loneliness and isolation, theratio of the ones who answered, “I want to talk to someone”.
Elementaryschool students

25％

High SchoolStudents

55%
74％

79％
Junior highschool students

24％

Guardians

28％
81%■I feel■I want to talk to someone

74％※Prepared based on the questionnaire survey conducted by Tokyo Metropolitan Government,
Liaison Office for Child-Oriented Policies（survey target approximately 3,200 children(elementary school, junior high school, high school students) and guardians (of preschoolers,elementary school, junior high school, high school students) who reside in Tokyo

Direction of strengthening policies•
８

Preventing loneliness/isolation by chatconsulting service making use of SNS etc.

We will start “Comforting Chat”
from FY 2024!

◦Chat consulting by which people can consult

daily anxieties and concerns via SNS etc.

✔ Available without giving one’s
real name✔ Possible to select from a varietyof advisors.
✔ Available for continuous
consultation with the same advisor
as last time
✔ Possible to freely talk about
the state of feeling gloomy

Experienced personnels forproviding consultations
including psychologists
and public health nurses
will address theconsultations!

Available froma smartphone or PC!

Creation of “connection”
via digital technologies
９Promotion of “Play” Leading
to Children’s Smiles“Play” means to foster power tolive for children”Play with diverse parties” in infancy
will have favorable effects on thesubsequent growth of children
Scores for ”feelings of self-esteem of children of 17years old (second-year high school students)

30.0
29.0
28.0

28.0

28.5

28.8

29.1

27.0
26.0
25.0
Low

High

Diversity of playing parties at the time of seven years
old (first-year elementary school students)（Material）Prepared based on “FY 2020 Report on Results of Survey and Study on Youth Experience Activities～
Analysis Results of Experience Activities by Making Use of Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st Century”

Direction of strengthening policies

10• Promotion to create playgrounds by reflecting
children’s views• Enhancement of diverse experience opportunities
through “play”• Development of human resource to support “play”of children• Promotion of understanding for “play” of children
by local communities

Reflecting Children’s Views for
Creation of Playgrounds
Supporting municipalities that engage in creation of playgrounds
by reflecting children’s views
WorkshopChildren’s views＋Interview

Playgrounds

Visit Lecture

Enhancement of experience
opportunities through play
Support “desires for playing” through various events

Sweet potato
baked by open
fireFree handicraft
by using waste
Digging

Monkey Bridge

Dissemination of importance of play

Dialogue by Mr. Takeshi Tsuruno and Ms. Nobuko Uchida (Honorary Professorof Ochanomizu University)

11Creation of Circumstances toProtect Children from Accidents
Realizing society where children cantake on challenges without worry
The number of children taken to thehospital by ambulance due to accidents
remain almost flat（children）

The number of children taken to the hospital by ambulance
due to accidents in daily life of children in Tokyo (from ０ to18 years old）

20,00015,00010,0005,00002015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021 （year）（Material）Prepared based on “Actual Conditions of Accidents in Daily Life
Viewed from Emergency Transportation Data” by Tokyo Fire Department

Direction of strengthening policies••
12

There is a limit with watching overalone to prevent from causing
accidents
Preventing accidents by “changing”“things we can change”

What “things that we can change”“change” means…
”Things we want to change” is to drown in

the river!

Against this, by “changing” behavior to wear life
jacket, we can prevent accidents of drowning.
Things we canchange

Things we wantto change

Drowning in a river

Wearing life jacket

Things we cannotchangeWater amount andflow velocity

Development of evidence-based
preventative measures◦Implementing survey/studies to prevent
accidents and transmitting proposals based on
scientific methods.

（Example）Measuringphysical abilities of children（Example）Conducting 3D
measurement formovements of children

Data analysis of accident
cases etc.

Ensuring prevention of “preventableaccidents”

13Support for Young Carers
Development of support
tailored to individuals
In the generation of parties concerned, thedegree of recognition ”Young Carer” is low
0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

中学２年生
Second-yearstudents
in junior high school
Second-year students
全日制高校２年生
in full-time high schoolStudents equivalent toSecond-year students
定時制高校２年生相当
in part-time high school
Highschool students
通信制高校生in correspondence high school
Third-year students
in university
大学３年生
I have heard about young carers and know the details

I have heard about them but do not know the details

I have never heard about them

No response（Material）Prepared based on “FY 2020 Survey and Study on Actual Conditions of YoungCarers” and “FY 2021 Survey and Study on Actual Conditions of Young Carers” by Ministry ofHealth, Labour and Welfare (※Period of survey diﬀers according to each generation)

Direction of strengthening policies

••••
14

Promoting creation of environment topromptly recognize young carers
Strengthening base of collaboration
between multiple organizations andinformation sharing system
Enhancement of multifaceted andcontinuous support to young carers
Strengthening support for needs of thewhole family with a young carerWebsite to Support Young Carers
Production of “Plaza for Young Carers”

 Point１

 Point２

Production of contents toYoung carers themselves
participate in HP production deepen understanding about
young carers
process

Animation

State of workshop

Documentary

Publicize HP strategically⇒ Increase social recognition ofYoung Carers
15

Support for Children
Whose Native Languages
Are Not JapaneseMultifaceted support tailored toindividual actual state
The number of children requiring instruction ofJapanese in Tokyo has increased by 1.6 times inthe last decade
The number of children/students requiring instruction of Japanese（Tokyo Metropolitan area）

1.6 times

4,377
children/students

2,796
children/students%%%%

FY 2012FY 2022%（Material）”Survey on Acceptance State of Children/Students Requiring Instruction ofJapanese” (FY 2012) by by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technologyand ”Survey on Acceptance State of Children/Students Requiring Instruction of Japanese”(FY 2022) by Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education

Direction of strengthening policies•••16Enhancement of opportunities to learn
Japanese
Support to acquire necessary skills for daily
life
Promoting consultation system andcreation of third place from the viewpointof children

Aiming at Society where Children whose
Native Languages are not Japanese Can Take
Active Roles lively by their own values
Support municipalities to engage in creationof third places for children whose nativelanguages are not JapaneseMulticultural Kids Salon

Third places for children to enable “learning”,“consultation” and “interaction”
Learning
Consultation

Support for learning
Japanese tailored toindividuals
Interaction

Delicate measures for
consultation to offer supportfor anxieties and concerns ofchildren and guardians

By creating connection with many
people, supporting from psychologicalaspects and aspects of daily life etc.

17Youth Healthcare
By resolving health problems
peculiar to adolescence,enhancing health of youths
With respect to health in adolescence, 50% ofjunior high school and high school students isinterested in their body (secondary sexual characteretc.) and their mind (depression etc.)
Q. What kind of themes on health ofjunior high school and high school n=5,000
students are you interested in?
※Multiple
About body（secondary sexual character,lifestyle habit etc.）
About mind
（mental health, depressionetc.）

%
48%
45%

answers※Excerpt fromquestionnaire ofanonymous typefor SNS users(conducted fromDecember 5 to 14of 2023)

Direction of strengthening policies

18•

Strengthening information distribution etc.
based on views of youths•

Promoting development of circumstances
for consultation from the viewpoint of youths

Transmitting Health Information
That Youths Should Know in
Adolescence from Their Viewpoint―

Website for health and medical treatment from teenage―

Transmitting
information thatyouths want to know
 Publishing articles based on
the questionnaires foryouths
 Emergency contraception,eating disorder, gender
diversity etc.

Accurate and Safe due
to supervision byexperts
 Being supervised bymultiple experts fromvarious perspectives
 Supporting informationcollection of youths that use
the Internet on a daily basis

Easily viewable websiteby using ideas of youths
 Designed from theviewpoint of digital native
youth generation
 High operability with multidevice support

19

Growing-Up of
School-Age Children” Tokyo” where even children who
cannot become familiar with school
life can grow up by their own values～ By their own values, just as they are～
Changes in the number of children/students who areunable to attend school (Tokyo Metropolitan area)

FY 2022

34,711 children/students

FY 2021
FY 2020
FY 2019

27,187 children/students%
22,494 children/students%%%

21,799 children/students%

1.6times（Material）Prepared based on ”Survey on Challenges upon Instructing Problematic
Behaviors/Non-Attendance of Children and Students Etc.” by Tokyo Metropolitan Government,
Board of Education and "Actual Conditions of Problematic Behaviors/Non-Attendance of Childrenand Students Etc.” at Private Schools in Tokyo” by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau ofCitizens, Culture and Sports.

Direction of strengthening policies• Starting support for users of free schools etc.
• Starting support for free schools etc. that aim atenhancement of support for actions of children• Launching survey and studies of diverse learning

outside school

20

Reducing the Burden of Usage
Fees of Free Schools etc.
NewSubsidizing usage fees for children at thecompulsory education stage who are unable
to attend school (upper limit: 20,000 yen permonth)

Supporting free schools etc. thatwork on education from children’s
viewpointNew

Subsidizing the costs required for enhancementof experience programs and safety improvement
etc.

Researching diverse
learning outside school
New

Establishing method to attract children’sinterest/attention and maximize intellectual
curiosity
Learning/thirdplacesin school

Making options of learning/third
places of children who cannot become
familiar with school life and face various
challenges in their lives more diverse

Learning/thirdplaces
outside school

Diverseoptions
Learning/thirdplaces
both in school
andoutside school21Promotion of Children’s
Smile Movement
In collaboration with various companies
and organizations, encouraging spirit
toward “society that cherishes children”
There are few people who feel gentlenessand understanding by society for childrearing
The ratio of people who think that
their countries are “comfortable
places to give birth and raisechildren”
0%

50%

100%

SwedenスウェーデンFranceフランス
Germany
ドイツ

Public security in thelocal community

52.0%

Enhancement of medical carefor mothers/children from theperiod of pregnancy to childbirth

46.1%

Support and reductionof educational expenses
%

39.0%

%■Strongly agree/Rather agree■Rather disagree/Strongly disagree■No response…

%…

Japan日本%

The reason people think that their

日本が子供を生み育てやすい国だとcountries are “comfortable places togive birth思う理由and raise children”%
Feeling gentleness and understandingby the entire society for child rearing

8.6%（Material）Prepared based on “FY 2020 Report on International Awareness Survey on Society with a Declining Birthrate” by Cabinet OfficeDirection of strengthening policies•••
22

Accelerating movement by enhancing
information transmission
Supporting action by companies andorganizations
Expanding opportunities for participationand the ones for experience of children

Further Increasing “Children’sSmile Movement”
The celebrities who play active roles in the frontline of various fields widely transmit theconcepts and messages
Ambassadors of “Children’s Smile Movement”

Ambassadors earnestly answering
questions from child reporters

Supporting the actions “to cherish children” bycompanies and organization that participate inChildren’s Smile Movement
EconomicOrganization

Companies

LaborUnion

Universities
Participating Entities of Children’sandschools
Smile Movement
Municipalities

TMGＮＰＯ

Giving awards to companiesand organizations
conducting innovativeactivities

Celebrities

1,570 organizations
participating（as of January of 2024）

Creation of opportunities forexperience of various
children by holding
exchange meetings

23Promotion of “Ikugyo” ** meaning childcare leave

Child rearing means not “holidays”
but “important work to foster future”
It is not “Ikukyu” but “Ikugyo”
The rate of acquiring Ikugyo by men is far
lower compared to the one by women
100%

Changes in the rate of acquiring Ikugyo in Tokyo

94.1%

80%
60%

Men
男性

40%

Women
女性

26.2%

20%
0%

FY 2013

FY 2022（Material）Prepared based on “FY 2022 Report on Survey Results for Gender Equal Participation ofTokyo Metropolitan” by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Bureau of Industrial and Labour Affairs

Direction of strengthening policies
Encouraging spirit in
the entire society totake “Ikugyo” more easily

Approach for large
companies
concentrated inTokyo
Balancing childrearing and work

Informationtransmission based onevidence

24

Promotinginitiatives for
Ikugyo by men

Work to foster children by allChange of Mindset in theEntire Society◦Disseminating
the idea of“Ikugyo” bymovie etc.

New Approach toward
improvement of atmosphere inworkplace◦Supporting initiatives for companies thatpay support allowance to “co-workers ofthe persons who engage in Ikugyo”

Transmitting information
based on evidence◦Surveying and publicizing towhat degree the students
in the middle of job hunting
prioritize “Ikugyo”.
25Action for Children’s Future 2024