From Space ALC
As the recession continues, there are quite a few couples that are worried about whether they can afford to have children. According to research done by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, a family needs 10-20 million yen (about $100k-$200k) to raise a child from kindergarten to university. There are various factors responsible for Japan's declining birthrate, and one of them may be that some couples are reluctant to have children because of their economic anxiety.
To solve the problem, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has come up with the kodomo teate, or child allowance, policy. Every family with children under 15 can receive 13,000 yen per child per month from this year, and the amount is expected to be raised to 26,000 yen from next year. Also, tuition for public high schools will be free from this year, while about 120k-240k yen a year will be provided for a child that goes to private high school.
