For most preschool years, the family share of child development support is zero. Here is how the numbers work, what the income categories mean, and what is and is not included.
Child development support is a public service. The ward pays 90% of the service cost and the family pays 10%. On top of that, there is a monthly cap on the family share, set by household income — so no matter how many days your child attends in a month, you never pay more than the cap.
| Household category | Monthly cap (family share) | Roughly who |
|---|---|---|
| Receiving public assistance 生活保護 | ¥0 | |
| Low income 低所得 | ¥0 | Households exempt from resident tax |
| General 1 一般1 | ¥4,600 | Resident-tax-paying households up to roughly ¥9.2 million in annual income (income-based tax below ¥280,000) |
| General 2 一般2 | ¥37,200 | Above that |
The category is decided by the ward when the certificate is issued, from the household's resident-tax record. Foreign residents are assessed the same way as everyone else, based on the tax record in Japan.
Two programs make the family share zero for most preschool children:
As a rule, at our classroom there are no other fees beyond the family share — no enrolment fee, no materials fee. (Some classrooms elsewhere charge separately for snacks or outings; ask when you visit any classroom.) The certificate application itself is free. A doctor's opinion letter, if you need one, is charged by the clinic.
A four-year-old in Shinjuku with a certificate attends our classroom one day a week: the family share is ¥0 under the national free program. A one-year-old attending from the September 2025 usage month: ¥0 under the Tokyo program. A second-grader in 2027 using an after-school day service: 10% of the cost, capped at ¥4,600 or ¥37,200 a month depending on household income.
Sources: Children and Families Agency — user fees for children's attendance support (Japanese) · Children and Families Agency — free preschool development support (Japanese) · Tokyo Metropolitan Government — ages 0–2 family share covered (Japanese)
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