Naruto City, Tokushima

Naruto City’s Complete Childcare
Support Package

Background and Reason for the Projectage through new ideas, impactful and meaningful

Similar to the national situation, Naruto City has notprograms, and inter-policy coordination. As thebeen able to halt its population decline in recent

number of births and other demographic trends wasyears and the birthrate has been steadily declining.

greatly affected by COVID-19, the city decided to

The number of residents under the age of 14 has

intensively implement measures that strongly

gone from 6,711 in 2016 to 5,674 in 2021, decreasing

support the child-rearing generation as a trump cardby 18.1% in just five years. A major cause of this is

to curb their declining population.

the decline in the number of births.

Project Outline

In addition, many of the residents often move outof the city or prefecture during certain stages of their

The ‘Naruto City’s Complete Childcare Support

lives such as for higher education, employment, or

Package’ designated the four-year period of FY2022

marriage. The number of people in their 20s and 30s

to FY2025 as a ‘period of intensive implementation

who are of child raising age in Naruto City are in aof measures to promote an increase of households

state of decline due to more people moving out ofraising children’.

the city than in. Geographically, Naruto City is close

Support measures have been prepared for people

to Tokushima City, the prefectural capital, and is

at various life stages, starting from when people firstadjacent to Tokushima City’s commuter town.

begin a relationship, to meet their individual needs

Because of this, residents tend to choose cities andand help support them with childcare and settling

towns that have more commercial facilities and are

down in the city. The current measures are as follows.

more advantageous for high school students thanIn particular, there are some programs that are

Naruto City as their residential areas. Therefore,

completely free and promoted as the ‘7 Free

residents moving to neighbouring cities and towns

Initiatives’.

has been a major issue for the city.

Project Aims
In light of this situation, the city launched the ‘Naruto
City’s Complete Childcare Support Package’ inFY2022. The purpose of this project was to transform
Naruto City into a city with the best childcare support
in the prefecture and to secure more permanent
residents of child-rearing age. It aims to provide
comprehensive support for residents of child-rearing
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From Meeting,
Marriage, & Living
Together to Before
Pregnancy

Pregnancy andBirthElementarySchoolStudents

BeforeStarting School

Subsidies fororganisers ofmatchmaking events ChildbirthSpecial Benefit for Child Allowancecelebratory bonus
for newborns

Holding ofmatchmaking
events
Subsidies formoving, home
remodelling, etc.

Recurrent
pregnancy loss
supportRent subsidies for Health checkup
newly marriedassistance forcouples
women bearing
twins

Pregnancy,childbirth, andparenting classes
for young couples

Life planningseminarsJuniorHigh SchoolStudents

Pregnancy test
checkup assistance

Elementary, Junior High school
entrance celebratory bonus

Allowance forchildren of highschool age

Free childcare forsecond child
Free daycare for
2-year-olds
Free developmental
support for children
with disabilities
before school age

Free randoseru(Japanese schoolbag)

Free school
lunch for thirdyear juniorhigh schoolers

Assistance for widespread use of
daycares for sick and recovering childrenFertility treatment
assistanceHigh SchoolStudentsand On

Medical fee
assistance forchildren of highschool age

Naruto cityscholarships

Assistance for family support centre
usage fees
Acquiring a home

Subsidy of up to 1 million yen if you build or buy a house in Naruto City
Detailed view of Naruto City’s Complete Childcare Support Package

Naruto City’s FREE Childcare Support Package

Free daycare

Free randoseru (Japanese school bag)for first year elementary students

Free school lunch for third year juniorhigh students

Free developmental support for children withdisabilities before school age

Free general fertility treatments
Free side dishes for nursery schools,
kindergartens, and approved childcare centres
Free EIKEN for junior high schoolers

The 7 Free Initiatives
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Features and Innovations

by 38. In addition, while the overall number of births

The phrase ‘Complete Childcare Support’ indicatesin Tokushima Prefecture decreased by about 3%,

the city's stance of providing seamless support for

Naruto City saw a slight increase with 245 births inchildren and those of child child-rearing age. The city

FY2021 and 250 in FY2022.

is striving to share information in an easy-to-Through these figures, Naruto City recognizes that

understand manner by visualizing the entire project

there has been a positive effect that can be seen

as a package, rather than individual goals.

from the implementation of the project so far.

In addition, the contents of the project are notfixed, but flexibly and proactively reviewed. In theIssues, Problems and Responses

first year, the city started with 15 initiatives and aAccording to the results of the survey conducted inbudget of 178 million yen, but in the second year,

October

FY2023, they were able to initiate 24 of them with ahouseholds raising children, 47% of respondents

budget of 325 million yen, almost double the amount

were aware of the project. This shows that there isin the first year. The project is constantly evolving as

still a need to raise further awareness of the project

they move forward.

both within and outside the city.

2022

among

approximately

3,000

The city considers the needs of those of child-

Currently, a new ‘Childcare PR Advisor’ has beenrearing age to be important when reviewing thecommissioned by the city to work on strategic publiccontent of their programs and conducts a surveyrelations. Under the advice of the Childcare PR

every year as a reference when reviewing theAdvisor, in addition to paper media such asprograms. In addition, in FY2023, the new ‘Naruto

pamphlets, they are actively posting information on

UzukkoImprovementsocial media such as X (formerly known as Twitter)

Package’ project was launched. This projectand LINE, as well as through traditional media such

implements Naruto City's unique and distinctive

as TV and newspapers, and other web media. They

education, from pre-school to junior high school

are also connecting with tourist businesses andgraduation (entering high school), aiming to improveothers to share information and encourage further

the children’s academic abilities as they prepare forcollaboration.

AcademicAchievement

the future.

In addition, the national government, prefectures,and neighbouring cities and towns have indicatedResults of the Project

they will also expand their policies for childcare

As this is still the second year of the project, it issupport programs.

difficult to verify its exact effects, but the city isFor this reason, the city is reviewing the program

beginning to see improvements in the number ofcontents in response to the changes in thenew residents moving in and out and the number ofcircumstances surrounding the city. They also realizebirths.

the need to continue to work on implementing

Until now, Naruto City’s population decline due toprojects and publicity so Naruto City will beresidents moving out of the city had been in therecognized as a place where people want and choose

triple-digits for 12 years from 2016 to 2021, with theto live.

largest decrease being 406 people in 2018, and anfive years. By 2022, that number was cut down to 86,

Future Developments (expected effects andproject vision and issues)a significant improvement from the previous years,

In order to further enhance the effectiveness of thisespecially for children aged 0 to 14, which increased

project, the city must flexibly and proactively revise

average decrease of 297 people yearly over the last3

the project content in response to changes in theneeds and circumstances of child-rearing households.
A survey of child-rearing households shows that theimplementation of this project has resulted in animprovement in satisfaction from the previous
survey in all 14 items related to childcare support.
Naruto City will continue to add, modify, andrevise their programs based on the needs ofhouseholds raising children in order to further evolve
them and increase the overall number of families inthe city.

Reference URL
https://www.city.naruto.tokushima.jp/kurashi/kodomo/package/Contact:
Division in Charge: Naruto City Hall Department of
Health and Welfare, Welfare Office, Lively Children
Section, Children's Future OfficeTel.: +81-88-684-1563
E-mail: kodomomirai@city.naruto.i-tokushima.jp

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