Tokyo's childrearing support summary: a thorough comparison with Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba [FY2026]
Tokyo's childrearing support is said to be exceptionally generous even by national standards. A monthly ¥5,000 "018 Support" for ages 0–18, free childcare fees for "all" children aged 0–2, effectively free tuition for private high schools, and medical-expense subsidies for children up to the high-school-age bracket… In this article we organize Tokyo's programs by field as comprehensively as possible, and then compare the flagship measures side by side with the neighboring prefectures of Kanagawa (神奈川県), Saitama (埼玉県), and Chiba (千葉県).
(1) Amounts and coverage include projections as of FY2026; for those whose guidelines have not been published, we note "to be confirmed." (2) For programs implemented by "wards, cities, towns, and villages," amounts and out-of-pocket costs differ even within the same prefecture. (3) National programs (child allowance, free early-childhood education, tuition support funds, etc.) are common to all four prefectures, so the comparison focuses mainly on each prefecture's own add-ons.
The conclusion first: a comparison table of the four Tokyo-area prefectures' "flagship measures"
Comparing Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba on the six main items childrearing households care about, the picture is as follows (as of FY2026).
| Item | Tokyo | Kanagawa | Saitama | Chiba |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prefecture's own cash benefit (monthly for ages 0–18) | ◎ 018 Support ¥5,000/month, no income limit | ✕ None | ✕ None | ✕ None |
| Childcare fees for ages 0–2 | ◎ Free for all (regardless of income or number of children) | △ National program only | ○ Free from the 3rd child onward (prefectural add-on) | △ National program only (some cities lead the way) |
| Private high school tuition (FY2026) | ◎ Up to about ¥500,000 with national + Tokyo funding, no income limit | ○ Up to ¥480,000, no income limit | ○ National + prefectural add-on (prefectural portion has an income limit) | ○ National + prefectural reduction (prefectural portion has an income limit) |
| School lunch fees (public elementary/junior high) | ◎ Free in all 62 wards, cities, towns, and villages | △ Varies by municipality (major cities free for elementary school) | △ Varies by municipality | △ Prefecture covers the 3rd child onward + varies by municipality |
| Children's medical expenses (high-school-age bracket) | ◎ Nearly the whole area (¥200 per outpatient visit; free in many wards) | △ Varies by municipality (Yokohama to age 18; some cities still have out-of-pocket costs) | ○ Unified across all municipalities up to the end of the fiscal year of age 18 | △ Municipalities are expanding it, but a ¥300 out-of-pocket cost per outpatient visit is standard |
| Own subsidies for childbirth, fertility treatment, and egg freezing | ◎ Generous: ¥100,000 for painless (epidural) delivery, up to ¥240,000 for egg freezing, and more | △ Prefecture's own support is thin | △ Fertility screening ¥20,000–30,000; no egg freezing | △ Prefecture's own support is thin (mainly a privilege card) |
◎ = especially generous / ○ = available / △ = mainly national program, varies by municipality / ✕ = none. * "National programs" such as the child allowance and free early-childhood education for ages 3–5 are common to all four prefectures and are excluded from the comparison.
Tokyo is characterized by many flagship measures that "use the prefecture's own funds to pay out to / make free for all households with no income limit." Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba center on national programs plus municipal add-ons, and while they come close to Tokyo on medical expenses and private high schools, they lag behind Tokyo on things like 018-style cash benefits, free childcare fees for all children aged 0–2, and egg-freezing subsidies.
[Tokyo] Childrearing support covered by field
From here we look at Tokyo's programs in detail by field (◎ means no income limit).
| Program | Eligibility | Amount | Income limit / implementer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 018 Support | Ages 0–18 living in Tokyo (until the end of the fiscal year they turn 18) | ¥5,000/month (up to ¥60,000/year). Paid in lump sums up to 3 times a year | None ◎ / Tokyo. No renewal application needed while receiving |
| Child allowance (national) | Ages 0 to the end of the fiscal year of age 18 | ¥15,000 under age 3, ¥10,000 from age 3, ¥30,000 from the 3rd child onward | None (abolished Oct 2024) / national, wards/cities/towns/villages |
| Child-raising allowance | Children of single-parent households, etc. (until the end of the fiscal year of age 18) | ¥13,500/month per child | Yes / Tokyo, wards/cities/towns/villages |
| Child-rearing allowance (national) | Single-parent households, etc. | 1st child, full payment ¥48,050/month, and more (revised April Reiwa 8) | Yes / national, wards/cities/towns/villages |
Sources: 018 Support / Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare / Children and Families Agency
| Category | Eligible age | Out-of-pocket cost / income limit |
|---|---|---|
| Maru-nyu (infants and toddlers) | Age 0 to pre-school | No out-of-pocket cost. Income limit removed from the prefecture's subsidy in October 2025 ◎ |
| Maru-ko (elementary/junior high students) | Elementary 1 to junior high 3 | The prefectural program is ¥200 per outpatient visit, but many wards/cities/towns/villages make it free. Income limit removed October 2025 |
| Maru-ao (high-school-age bracket) | End of fiscal year of age 15 to end of fiscal year of age 18 | Up to ¥200 per outpatient visit (free in some wards). Income limit removed April 2025 |
Hospitalization is effectively free across nearly the whole of Tokyo. For outpatient care, the 23 wards are generally completely free, while some municipalities in the Tama area still have a ¥200 charge. Source: Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare (Maru-ao, etc.)
| Program | Eligibility | Details (FY2026) | Income limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Childcare fees for ages 0–2 | Children aged 0–2 at licensed nurseries, etc. | Free for all (expanded to the 2nd child onward in 2023 → to the 1st child in September 2025) | None ◎ |
| Childcare fees for ages 3–5 (national) | Ages 3–5 | Free (unlicensed facilities have a cap) | None |
| Metropolitan high school tuition | Metropolitan high school students | Effectively zero with the tuition support fund (¥118,800/year) | None ◎ (removed in FY2024) |
| Private high school tuition | Private high school students living in Tokyo | National ¥457,200 + Tokyo ¥43,800 = up to ¥501,000 | None ◎ |
| Private junior high school tuition | Private junior high school students living in Tokyo | ¥100,000/year (FY2026 includes a temporary ¥20,000 add-on = ¥120,000 total / to be confirmed) | None ◎ |
| School lunch fees | All children at public elementary/junior high schools | Free in all 62 wards, cities, towns, and villages (Tokyo subsidizes the municipalities) | None ◎ |
Sources: Tokyo — free childcare fees / Tokyo — private high school support (press) / Private School Foundation (private junior high)
| Program | Details | Amount (guide) |
|---|---|---|
| Support benefit for pregnant women (national) | Cash benefit at pregnancy registration + after childbirth | ¥100,000 total (¥150,000 for twins) |
| Baby First (Tokyo) | Selectable gift after childbirth (births in Tokyo) | Worth ¥100,000 + (for births from Jan 2026) a ¥30,000 add-on |
| Painless (epidural) delivery cost subsidy (Tokyo) | From October 2025. Painless delivery at eligible medical institutions | Up to ¥100,000 |
| Fertility treatment cost subsidy (Tokyo) | From April 2026. Expanded to also cover the out-of-pocket portion of insured treatment | Up to ¥150,000 per cycle (amount and requirements to be confirmed) |
| Egg freezing cost subsidy (Tokyo) | Women aged 18–39 living in Tokyo | ¥200,000 the first year + ¥20,000 per year thereafter (up to ¥240,000) |
| Preconception care screening subsidy (Tokyo) | Pre-pregnancy screening (taking a seminar is a requirement) | Women and men, up to ¥30,000 each |
| Prenatal checkups and postpartum care | Implemented by wards/cities/towns/villages (Tokyo subsidizes) | 14 checkups + ultrasound, etc. Postpartum care varies by local government |
Sources: Tokyo — painless delivery subsidy / Tokyo — egg freezing subsidy / Tokyo — preconception care
| Program | Details |
|---|---|
| Babysitter use support | The waiting-list-countermeasure type has a user cost from ¥150 per hour. The temporary-care type covers 144 hours a year (288 hours for multiple births / single parents) |
| Temporary care and short stay | Implemented by wards/cities/towns/villages. Trends toward expansion, such as Setagaya Ward making temporary care free for all households from April 2026 |
| Support for multiple births (twins, etc.) | Travel costs worth ¥24,000/year, dispatch of supporters (Tokyo Mama Papa Support Project) |
| Housing | Tokyo Kodomo Sukusuku Housing, priority slots for childrearing in metropolitan housing, etc. (cash rent subsidies to households are the municipalities' own programs) |
| Marriage support | TOKYO Futari Marriage Support Passport (privileges), TOKYO Enmusubi (AI matching; registration fee ¥11,000 for 2 years) |
| Promotion of children's cafeterias | Tokyo subsidizes operating costs (standard type up to ¥480,000/year, etc.) |
Sources: Tokyo — babysitter support / Tokyo — Kodomo Sukusuku Housing
[Kanagawa] Characteristics
Kanagawa has no prefecture's own cash benefit, and it also has almost no prefecture's own subsidies for childbirth, painless delivery, social egg freezing, preconception care, and the like. In fields based on national programs, it is catching up to Tokyo.
Sources: Kanagawa Prefecture — Private School Promotion Division / Kanagawa Prefecture — pediatric medical expenses
[Saitama] Characteristics
Saitama comes close to Tokyo on children's medical expenses (unified across all municipalities up to the end of the fiscal year of age 18). There is a prefectural add-on for childcare fees for ages 0–2 from the 3rd child onward, but there is no cash benefit or egg-freezing subsidy.
Sources: Saitama Prefecture — children's medical expenses / Saitama Prefecture — childcare fees for multi-child households / Saitama Prefecture — fertility screening subsidy
[Chiba] Characteristics
Chiba has few flagship measures of the "prefecture pays out uniformly across the whole area" type; it is a "municipality-dependent" model that leaves the content of benefits to the municipalities. Its representative prefecture's own item is the childrearing privilege card "Chiipass."
Sources: Chiba Prefecture — children's medical expenses / Chiba Prefecture — lunch fees / Chiba Prefecture — Chiipass
What the comparison shows (summary)
018 Support, various subsidies, private high school tuition subsidies, and the like require an application. For the big picture of money you can receive around childbirth, see Money for childbirth and childrearing; for the mechanism of the "childrearing support levy" deducted from salary, see Children and Childrearing Support Levy; and for building children's assets, see also Children's Support NISA.
FAQ
What are Tokyo's standout childrearing supports that other prefectures don't have?
"018 Support," which pays ¥5,000 monthly to ages 0–18 with no income limit; free childcare fees for "all" children aged 0–2 (a national first); effectively free private high school tuition; and the prefecture directly subsidizing everything from painless delivery to egg freezing and preconception care. Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba have almost no prefecture's own measures equivalent to these.
Where are children's medical expenses the most generous?
Saitama Prefecture unified coverage across all municipalities up to the end of the fiscal year of age 18 from October 2024. Tokyo covers the high-school-age bracket (¥200 per outpatient visit; free in many wards). Kanagawa and Chiba have large municipal differences, and in Chiba a ¥300 out-of-pocket cost per outpatient visit is standard. Confirm your final out-of-pocket cost with the local government where you live.
Does private high school tuition really become free?
In FY2026 the national tuition support fund pays up to ¥457,200 for private schools with no income limit, and effective tuition-free status advances nationwide. Tokyo adds up to about ¥500,000 with no income limit; Kanagawa is also up to ¥480,000 with no income limit. Saitama's and Chiba's prefectural add-on portions still have income limits (the prefectures' finalized FY2026 amounts are to be confirmed).
Is support the same within the same prefecture?
No. Out-of-pocket costs for children's medical expenses, free school lunches, childcare-fee add-ons, rent subsidies, and the like are implemented by wards/cities/towns/villages, so amounts and availability differ. When moving, it is important to check not only by "prefecture" but at the level of the candidate municipality.
Does 018 Support have an income limit?
No. It targets ages 0–18 living in Tokyo (until the end of the fiscal year they turn 18), and ¥5,000 per month is paid. Those already receiving it do not need to renew their application.
Reference links (sources)
This article is based on published information from each local government and the national government (as of June 2026). Amounts and requirements may change, and those whose guidelines have not been published are noted as "to be confirmed." Confirm the latest and accurate details with each local government.
- Tokyo — 018 Support
- Tokyo Bureau of Social Welfare — Children and Childrearing (medical expenses, free childcare fees, childbirth/fertility, Baby First, etc.)
- Kanagawa Prefecture / Private school promotion (tuition subsidy)
- Saitama Prefecture — children's medical expenses / childrearing support
- Chiba Prefecture — childrearing support (Chiipass, medical expenses, lunch fees)
- Children and Families Agency (child allowance, free early-childhood education, support benefit for pregnant women) / Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology — high school tuition support fund
* This article is intended to provide general information and does not guarantee the applicability or amount of any program. Many programs are implemented by wards, cities, towns, and villages and differ by local government. Always confirm application requirements, deadlines, and the latest information with the official information of the local government where you live.