In 2025, amendments to the Childcare and Caregiver Leave Act was implemented to ensure individual notification about the support systems to applicable workers. This article focuses on individual notification.
[1] Individual notification about childcare leave system and confirmation of wishes
When employees notify their companies about their or their spouses’ pregnancy or childbirth, the companies are required to explain about the childcare leave system and confirm the employees’ wishes regarding the use of the system.
Additionally, from October 2025, companies will become required to explain about their measures to support flexible working style during child-rearing and confirm the employees’ wishes. Specifically, this notification and confirmation must be done at an appropriate timing before employees’ children turn three (during the one-year period from the day after next when the children reach one year and eleven months of age to the next day when they reach two years and eleven months of age) by any of the following methods.
3 and 4 are possible only if requested by the employees.
[2] Confirmation of employees’ wishes and proper consideration
From October 2025, companies will be required to confirm applicable employees’ wishes about how to continue working while caring for children and also make appropriate arrangements.
When employees notified of their or their spouses’ pregnancy or childbirth and also at an appropriate timing before their children turn three, companies need to ask the employees’ wishes about preferrable hours and places of work, the period when they wish to use the support system or whether they wish to change working conditions. Based on the hearing, companies are expected to make appropriate arrangements according to the situation of the workplace.
Companies are required to make consideration based on employees’ wishes, but it is left to their discretion whether to take specific measures. They do not need to take action to meet the workers’ requests fully.
[3] Individual notification about nursing care leave system
From April 2025, companies have become required to provide information about nursing care leave system to applicable workers and confirm their wishes regarding the use of support program.
They are also obliged to provide information about caregiver leave and related measures to workers likely to face the need of nursing care in the future (around age 40).
The Labor Ministry website provides sample documents for individual notification, confirmation of wishes, opinion hearing and providing of information. Please make use of the documents and examples and prepare necessary documents.
[Reference]
The Ministry of Labour, “Childcare and Caregiver Leave Act”
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000130583.html
