Outline of the Act Establishing the Children and Families Agency (Act No. 75 of 2022)
Purpose
This Act establishes the Children and Families Agency, positioning it as an external organ of the Cabinet Office; the Children and Families Agency is charged with handling functions related to increasing the welfare and improving the health of children (meaning people in the process of physical and mental development; the same applies hereinafter) and their families, providing other such support for children's healthy growth and for parenting, and advocating for children, based on the importance of the family's role in child-rearing and on the principle of making considerations that give due weight to the views of the child in accordance with the child’s age and maturity, and that prioritize children's best interests, in order to bring about a society in which children can all grow up healthy as independent individuals; the Agency is also charged with assisting in the Cabinet functions associated with the Cabinet's specific essential policies that are relevant to the abovementioned duties, and the Act provides for the particulars of the functions under the Agency's jurisdiction and for the particulars of its organization.
Outline
1. The Act establishes the Children and Families Agency, positioning it as an external organ of the Cabinet
2. The head of the Children and Families Agency is called the Administrator of the Children and Families Agency
3. Functions under the jurisdiction of the Children and Families Agency
⑴ Assigned administrative functions (functions that the Agency implements itself)
- Planning, drafting, and promoting basic policies to ensure an environment for the healthy growth of children under school age and to support the parenting of children under school age.
- Functions related to Child and Child-rearing Support Benefits and other necessary support for children and those who raise them
- Functions related to childcare
- Arranging for a parenting support system
- Ensuring appropriate places in the community for children to play and live
- Promoting the welfare of children, families with children, expectant and nursing women, and other mothers
- Planning, drafting, and promoting basic policies related to the development of safe and secure living environments for children
- Improving children's health
- Preventing child abuse
- Establishing local systems for bullying prevention, such as those which allow people to consult with related organizations, etc.
- Child advocacy (other than anything falling under another Ministry's jurisdiction)
- Formulating and promoting the General Principles for Child-Related Measures) and other functions
⑵ Functions handled to support the Cabinet (functions related to essential Cabinet policies)
- Planning, drafting, and integration of the policies involved in the basic policies that are meant to bring about a society in which children can all grow up healthy as independent individuals
- Planning, drafting, and integration of the policies involved in the basic policies that aim to overcome the declining birthrate, including arrangements for a social environment that allows people to feel hopeful about getting married, having children, and raising them
- Planning, drafting, and integration of the policies involved in child and youth development and support
4. Requests to submit materials and provide other cooperation
- If the Administrator of the Children and Families Agency finds it necessary to do so in order to carry out the affairs under the jurisdiction of the Children and
Families Agency, the Administrator may ask the heads of relevant administrative organs to submit materials, give explanations, or provide any other such needed cooperation.
5. Deliberative councils and extraordinary organs
・By establishing the Child and Families Council and other councils in the Children and Families Agency to deliberate on important matters of child-related policy and other relevant issues, the Act transfers the relevant councils and their functions from the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to the
Agency, and also makes the Council for the Promotion of Child-Related Measures, chaired by the Prime Minister, the extraordinary organ that is placed within the
Child and Families Agency pursuant to the provisions of the Basic Act on Children's Policy.
6. Effective date
- April 1, 2023
- Approximately five years after this Act enters into force, the Government is to review what the best modality is for the structures and frameworks that are meant to allow it to comprehensively and effectively implement measures for providing high-quality education and childcare for children under school age and other such support for children's healthy growth and for parenting in light of the implementation status of the measures in question; and if the Government finds it to be necessary to do so, it is to take the necessary measures based on the results of its review.